Broken Hearts, Shattered Glass
by Luxio Nyx
Summary: Sequel to Hearts Like Glass. Former vampire hunter Mr. Darcy is ready to live a quiet life with his wife, Elizabeth. But with evil looming both in the air and in the heart, can their love survive? Can they?
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

_The crowded ballroom pulsed with life. Literally._

_From his place near the grand staircase, he could sense, if not see, the pulses in the delicate white necks of the ladies around him as they spun around the room in the arms of their partners. The men who supported the ladies also pulsed with their own vibrant life source, although their lives seemed to have more vitality. Pity, men were usually better tasting than the women, even if they were harder to kill._

_A strikingly handsome woman passed by him, her bright green eyes meeting his for a split second across the ballroom. She beamed at him, causing her partner, a good-looking man with a cheerful disposition and red hair, to look over as well. The red-haired man smiled and waved before leading the girl over._

"_I do believe it's time you had your turn," the woman's partner told him teasingly, his hazel eyes glowing with satisfaction._

_The woman's smile widened as he lead her back onto the dance floor, her hands already moving to his shoulders._

"_Finally, I thought that you would hide in a corner forever," she teased._

_He smiled and placed his hand on her waist as he held her close._

"_I cannot even imagine such an occurrence," he whispered._

_The woman shivered and rested her head on to his shoulder. That was a mistake on her part._

_He glanced down at the exposed skin of her neck, his eyes zeroing in on the pulse that was jumping erratically from the vein there. Somewhere inside of his mouth, canines elongated and sharpened into lethal needles as he leaned over the woman, a primitive urge overruling the need for secrecy._

_The woman moaned quietly as his teeth made contact with her skin and went limp in his arms. He tightened his hold on her, his muscles relaxing as the warm blood trickled down his throat. He pulled her closer, trying to drink as much as possible._

_Someone screamed not too far away. He looked up to see a petite woman with blonde curls fall limply into the arms of the red-haired man from earlier. A wall-length mirror was placed beside the couple. He caught sight of his reflection in the mirror and stiffened._

_His ice-blue eyes were wild with shock and thirst, his angular lips stained scarlet with blood. He looked down at the woman in his arms, a small part of him breaking as he saw her dead green eyes stare up at him accusingly._

_Fitzwilliam Darcy screamed._

"Fitzwilliam!"

Darcy's eyes flew open as he sat bolt upright in his bed, his chest heaving with gasps.

His wife, Elizabeth, knelt beside him atop the covers, her auburn hair tousled slightly from sleep, her cat-like green eyes concerned.

"Fitzwilliam, calm down," she said soothingly. "You'll wake Edmund," she added with forced cheerfulness. "And we both know had disastrous that would be."

Darcy forced a smile onto his face as his breathing slowly returned to normal. Their son, Edmund, most certainly did not enjoy getting woken up before he was ready. Elizabeth often teased him that Edmund was his son since she was certain that she had never been such a horrible morning person. That particular brand of teasing had always made Darcy smile; he knew better.

"Are you alright?" Elizabeth asked, the concern in her eyes subsiding slightly when she saw that he was calmer.

Darcy nodded absently and held out one of his arms. Elizabeth smiled slightly and crawled back beneath the covers, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Nightmare?" she guessed.

Darcy nodded, trying very hard not to think of what the nightmare had been about. He shuddered as the image of Elizabeth's dead body in his arms came back to him and drew the real version closer to him.

"It was nothing," he said dismissively. "Some bad memories, that's all."

Elizabeth frowned, not convinced.

"Fitzwilliam, that was not nothing," she told him seriously. "You sounded like Jane when she has one of her visions."

"It wasn't a vision," Darcy snapped, his voice sharper than he had intended it to be. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you."

"I don't mind," Elizabeth whispered, her thin hands reaching out to brush a strand of his hair away from his face. "I've heard worse from you, I think."

Darcy sighed and buried his face in her hair. He sighed as the scent of her permeated his nostrils, and then stiffened as another memory from his dream came back to him. He had liked Elizabeth's scent then, too.

Darcy pulled away slightly, his jaw tightening. He would not allow that to happen to Elizabeth.

He couldn't.

Jane gasped, her eyes flying open as she woke from a troubled sleep. She felt Bingley stir beside her and relaxed slightly as his arm wound its way around her waist.

"Jane?" he murmured sleepily. "Are you alright?"

"I'm alright, Charles," she assured him gently. "I just… I think I just had a vision."

Bingley stiffened and lifted his head off of the pillows to look at his wife, his red hair falling haphazardly into his normally cheerful face.

"A vision?" he repeated warily. Jane hadn't had a vision since Wickham's death, five years before. The fact that she was having one now, right when they were starting to enjoy a normal life… it scared him a little.

"It wasn't much," Jane assured him quickly, eager to put her husband at ease. "I don't even remember a lot of it but… I still remember the tone of the vision."

"And?" Bingley prompted, bracing himself for the worst.

Jane sighed and leaned back into his arms, suddenly needing comfort.

"Something is coming," she told him grimly. "And it's not going to be good."

**Disclaimer: obviously, I do not own any of these characters since all of the credit goes to the amazing Jane Austen. Also, just to make a few things clear, this is a sequel to my other story Hearts Like Glass (I would recommend reading it before you read too much of this), and it follows the lives of Elizabeth and Darcy, Bingley and Jane, and Mary and James Fitzwilliam after their marriage. And, as was stated by Jane, something particularly nasty is on the horizon.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

_Georgiana Darcy stared dreamily out of the carriage window, her blue eyes eagerly soaking in the towering cliffs and bright green pines of Northumberland. Across from her, a man chuckled._

"_It is beautiful, is it not, Miss Darcy?" A young man asked, his green eyes peering at her intently from beneath a shock of curling black hair._

_Georgiana blushed and nodded mutely, still unable to be completely at ease around Edmund Darrows, even though he had been her brother's travelling companion for the past twelvemonth. Although, she reflected, perhaps it would have been easier to converse with him if he were not so handsome._

_Edmund's smile widened at the sight of her blush, his green eyes softening. He cast a glance at Fitzwilliam Darcy, who was being very careful to keep his eyes on his own window._

"_Penny for your thoughts, Darcy?" Edmund asked slyly._

_Darcy turned to look at his companion, his eyes flickering between Edmund and Georgiana. He raised his eyes brows, his icy-blue eyes flashing wickedly._

"_I am sure that you would ridicule me horribly if you knew of my thoughts, Darrows," he told him delicately._

_Georgiana's blush deepened as she understood her brother's meaning. She turned hastily away from Edmund and stared once more out of her window, a small smile making its way to her lips as Edmund continued to question her brother. She wondered if Edmund hadn't understood Darcy's remark or if he was merely trying to taunt her brother into saying his thoughts aloud. Probably the latter; Edmund enjoyed it when people spoke their minds._

_Edmund suddenly broke off mid-sentence, his tanned hand reaching out to nudge Georgiana's shoulder. Georgiana looked up, startled, and opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, only to be silenced by a look from her brother._

_Darcy and Edmund edged towards the carriage door, their hands already clasping the stakes that had been hidden in their sleeves. Georgiana shuddered and absently moved to tough the cross that hung on a silver chain around her neck. Vampires._

_Edmund's eyes narrowed and he lunged for the door, the hand with the stake lashing out like a cobra's strike. A pale man clad almost entirely in black cried out in pain and drew back, his lips curling upwards in a snarl._

_Darcy erupted from the carriage as well, his stake already flying towards the vampire's chest, his hands reaching for the cane that lay on the bottom of the carriage._

_Georgiana shrank away from the battle, hating herself for her helplessness. Why had she never learned to fight? She could have been helping them instead of cowering._

_A cold hand wound itself around her waist and pulled her out of the carriage. Georgiana screamed and twisted within the person's grip, her hand struggling to reach the cross._

"_Georgiana!" Darcy and Edmund yelled. Edmund turned away from the first vampire, his green eyes wild with fear and rage._

"_Don't-!" she tried to call, her voice cut off as the vampire holding her tightened his grip._

_Edmund ignored her and lunged towards the vampire who held her, not seeing the third vampire until it was too late…_

"Georgiana? Georgiana!"

Georgiana woke with a start, her blue eyes widening slightly with shock at having been woken from her dream.

Elizabeth, her new sister-in-law, stood over her, her dark green eyes worried. Beyond her, Mary and Jane, Elizabeth's sisters, watched to two curiously from their places on the sofa.

Georgiana blushed and hurried to sit up on the chaise lounge that she had been occupying.

"I'm sorry," she said sheepishly. "I must have dozed off."

"No need to apologize," Mary told her gently. "We have all seen people sleep in our life times."

"It's quite alright if you are tired, dear," Jane added. "I would be tempted to doze off myself if I wasn't afraid that Lizzie would tease me about it for months afterwards."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes good naturedly, her gaze still centered on Georgiana.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked her.

Georgiana nodded, still slightly embarrassed.

"I am fine," she insisted. Then, seeing the look on Elizabeth's face, she added "It was only a nightmare, nothing serious."

"I beg to differ," Jane muttered, her light jade eyes darkening slightly.

Elizabeth's eyebrows rose and she settled back on the armchair that she had vacated. The four women were in the parlor of Pemberley, waiting for Darcy, Bingley, and James, who had been installed in Darcy's study for the better part of the morning. Elizabeth's son, Edmund, was sitting quietly on Jane's lap, his sea-green eyes watching the four girls attentively from beneath his curling red-brown hair. Georgiana felt a slight pang as she looked at her nephew, who had been named after a vampire hunter of Darcy's acquaintance.

"May we ask what this nightmare was about?" Elizabeth asked gently.

Georgiana sighed and nodded.

"You may, it isn't very personal," she admitted. "It was simply the memory of the day that Edmund Darrows died."

Elizabeth nodded knowingly and reached out to clasp Georgiana's hand. Darcy had told his wife about Edmund a few weeks before, including his suspicions about Georgiana's feelings for Edmund.

"Edmund Darrows?" Mary repeated, her grey eyes sharpening at the prospect of more knowledge.

"He was another vampire hunter who used to travel with Fitzwilliam," Elizabeth explained. "He died while fighting vampires in Northumberland."

"Oh," Jane gasped, her eyes widening in sympathy. Her grip tightened slightly on her nephew, who leaned into her embrace obligingly.

Georgiana forced a small smile.

"As I said, it was merely a nightmare," she insisted. "Nothing serious."

"Well, it seems that today is the day for nightmares in the Darcy family," Elizabeth remarked wryly. "Fitzwilliam woke up screaming last night."

Mary's eyebrows rose and she exchanged a look with Jane.

"Darcy screamed?" she murmured. "I wonder…"

"I do not think he has visions like I do," Jane said quickly. "He would have had them much earlier. Still, it is peculiar. I have never known Mr. Darcy to be so afraid."

"I wonder if that is why Charles and James are here," Mary mused.

Elizabeth shrugged, her eyes tightening as they travelled towards the ceiling that separated the comfortable parlor from Darcy's study.

"Wickham?" James repeated, his brown eyes skeptical beneath his light brown hair. "You honestly think this is Wickham's doing?"

Darcy shrugged impatiently, his long legs already taking him on another round of pacing around his study. Bingley and James watched him from their places in the twin armchairs, their expressions wary.

"How else would I have had that dream?" Darcy asked his voice tight with worry. "After all, it isn't like I have very many mental connections to vampires."

"Perhaps you were merely suffering from a vision like Jane?" Bingley suggested helpfully, his hazel eyes darkening infinitesimally at the thought of his wife's visions. "She had another one last night as well," he added quietly.

Darcy paused in his pacing and stared at Bingley.

"She did? Charles, I'm sorry, I've been so absorbed in my own troubles that I forgot to make sure that you were alright as well."

Bingley smiled good-naturedly and waved away Darcy's apologies.

"It's quite alright, Darcy," he assured him. "She couldn't remember much of the vision anyways," he added seriously. "She only said that something bad was coming."

Darcy nodded, looking as if his worst fears had been confirmed.

"That doesn't have to mean that Wickham is rising from the dead- sorry, undead," James pointed out. "Perhaps you nightmare was merely a nightmare, Fitzwilliam."

"On the same night as Jane's vision? I don't think so," Darcy argued.

James sighed and leaned back in his chair, his fingers pressed against his temples.

"Are you alright?" Darcy asked, feeling another wave of guilt go over him as he realized that he had neglected his cousin as well.

James nodded, his fingers still pressed against his temples.

"Yes," he sighed. "I'm sorry, cousin, I just do not want to even think about dealing with Wickham right now. My brother still has not sent me my inheritance."

Darcy frowned. James's father, who had been turned into a vampire by Wickham shortly before Darcy's father died, had left a will before his death that had stated that each of his sons were to inherit a third of his considerable fortune at the time of their marriage. James's eldest brother, Sir Henry Fitzwilliam, had already received his third of the fortune upon his marriage to Lady Helena Damien three years before James's own marriage. Since James's marriage to Mary four years ago, James had been waiting for his share of the fortune to be given to him but had not received a penny of it.

"James, you realize that both Charles and I would assist you in anyway we could," Darcy told his cousin.

James winced and forced a grateful smile onto his face.

"Thank you, cousin, but I will not accept charity," he insisted. "Mary and I will manage until the money comes. After all, I still have my position as Colonel."

Darcy nodded, still not entirely convinced.

James noticed.

"I'm fine, Darcy," he insisted. "Besides, the way things are going, my economic situation is the least of our problems."

Darcy couldn't help but agree.

**Disclaimer: I still do not own any of these characters (although like a lot of people, I wish I did). All of the credit goes to Jane Austen. Thanks to all of the people who have both reviewed and read this story. You guys rock! Also, just incase some of you were a little irked by my slow updating time, now that school has started I am only able to update about once a week if I'm lucky, although I will try and get up another update on Monday since my b-day is next Saturday…. Anyways, please just be patient, I promise I will try and be consistent with my updates. Thanks again!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Louisa Hurst looked intently at the three samples of ribbon that had been laid in front of her, her brow furrowed above her unnaturally narrow eyes.

"I am quite partial to the red one," she murmured. "What do you think, Harold?" she called over her shoulder to her husband.

Mr. Hurst grunted something unintelligible and turned back to the window of the ribbon shop, his eyes following the crowds of young women as they went on their weekly shopping excursions. He held back a sigh. Out of all of the women in the world, why did he have to get Louisa as his wife?

Louisa frowned, her thoughts travelling down paths similar to that of her husband. She turned back to the man who owned the shop and pointed at the red ribbon. The man smiled and commended her for her wonderful choice before wrapping the ribbon and handing it to her, his hand remaining extended as he waited for her to hand him the money.

Louisa smiled good-naturedly at him.

"Is there no place where we can complete this transaction privately?" she asked, her voice taking on an almost husky quality. "I do hate to parade my riches in front of others, and my husband has an aversion to seeing money exchange hands."

The man nodded, suddenly eager to be of service to this wealthy woman, and lead her into a back room. He turned towards her, his young face eager, and screamed.

A white hand shot out and twisted his neck, abruptly cutting off his scream. Louisa delicately lifted his head away from his neck and bent down, her fangs piercing easily through the soft skin.

Mr. Hurst looked up lazily and watched as his wife came back into the main room of the ribbon shop.

"What was that about?" he asked, his words slurring like they always did when he was bored.

Louisa shrugged, trying to hide her disgust.

"He wanted to try and sell me some more ribbon," she told her husband casually. "Offered me quite a deal for it, really."

Hurst grimaced and stood up, eager to get out of the shop.

"No no, Harold," his wife said cheerfully. "He wants to speak with you as well. Something about a game of cards."

Hurst's face lit up and he followed his wife in to the back room. His face darkened with confusion when he saw how dark the room was.

"What-?" he began, his voice dying in his throat as the tip of his boot nudged against what was unmistakably a body.

Like the shopkeeper before him, Mr. Hurst's scream was cut off as a white hand twisted his neck.

"It was quite a deal, really," Louisa purred. "Two idiots for the trick of one."

Georgiana leaned back in the large armchair that stood in the corner of the Pemberley library and gently laid the book she had been reading on the table next to her. Her blue eyes flickered towards the staircase that lead down to the first floor of the library, a small smile flickering across her lips as her nephew's laugh echoed up the marble steps. Elizabeth's laughter mingled with her son's as the two made their way towards the large sliding glass doors that led onto Pemberley's extensive lawns.

Georgiana stood up stiffly and made her way to one of the bay windows which lined the second floor of the library. She looked down and watched Edmund and his mother run across the lawn, a slight pang making its way through her heart.

Elizabeth had meant well when she had pressed Georgiana to talk about her nightmare, had probably thought that she was doing Georgiana a kindness when she told her sisters about Edmund Darrows. Georgiana was angry at her for doing so, she could never be angry with her sister.

She could, however, be angry at Edmund Darrows.

She had never told her brother that Edmund was still alive.

"_Edmund?"_

_The dark-haired man stiffened and turned around, his green eyes suddenly guarded._

"_Georgiana," he said flatly._

_Georgiana ignored his tone as she flung herself into his arms, barely even noticing the robotic way in which his arms folded around her. Indeed, how could she notice anything except that he was alive?_

"_It is you," she sighed. She pulled away, the joy in her expression fading slightly as she began to wonder. "But, how? I saw you, Fitzwilliam and I __both__ saw you get pulled away by that vampire."_

_Edmund shrugged and looked away, his hands clenching into fists by his side._

"_It is better for you not to know the particulars of that day," he told her shortly._

"_I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know it must be horrible…I know that __I__ cannot think of my own experiences without shuddering."_

_Edmund looked back at her, his green eyes suddenly sharp._

"_What experiences?" he demanded._

_Georgiana blushed._

"_I'm a vampire hunter now," she told him with timid pride. "I help Fitzwilliam and our cousin, James."_

_Edmund's eyes darkened, making her take a step back. She had never seen him this angry before._

"_When?" he asked tightly._

"_After you were taken away," she whispered. "I didn't want anyone else to get hurt because of my helplessness, so I convinced Fitzwilliam to teach me how to fight. Only, why do you look so angry, Edmund? Have I offended you in some way?"_

_Edmund turned away for a moment and took a deep breath, seeming to need time to compose himself._

"_We should not have met tonight, Georgiana," he told her stiffly._

_Georgiana's face fell._

"_Why?" she asked in a small voice. "I-I have missed you, Edmund. So has Fitzwilliam. He will be so pleased when-."_

"_I did not wish to see you, Georgiana," Edmund snapped, cutting off her words. "Why else would I have kept my whereabouts hidden from you and your brother for so long?"_

_Georgiana stared at him, wondering if the pain that she was feeling was visible to him. She hoped not._

"_Why did you acknowledge me, then?" she asked in a small voice._

"_I figured that it would be better to confront you now then to have you try and search for me," Edmund snapped. "My world is not for women like yourself, Miss Darcy. You only get in the way."_

_Georgiana felt her eyes burn and opened her mouth to say something when another voice joined the two._

"_Edmund?" a woman's voice purred._

_Edmund turned mechanically as a woman with red hair and cold hazel eyes stepped out of the shadows. She watched Georgiana with contempt as she took Edmund's arm in her own._

"_Who is this, darling," she drawled. "A little friend of yours?"_

"_She's was just lost, Louisa," Edmund replied quickly. "I was just about to send her on her way."_

_Georgiana stared at Edmund for a long moment, her blue eyes burning with fiery misery. She turned away suddenly and ran from the couple, her blonde hair streaming behind her like a golden banner in the moonlight._

"_What a charming little pet," she heard Louisa remark._

_Edmund made no reply._

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters (I wish I did, but sadly I do not) all of the credit belongs to the amazing Jane Austen. Also, I must thank everyone who has read and/or reviewed the story so far.**

**Now, I do not normally do this, but since my birthday is coming up really soon, I would very much like it if everyone who reads this chapter could write a review for this story. Please? Everyone who does will get cookies! (or brownies if you're on the dark side like me, lol). Thanks again to everyone who reads this!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Louisa uttered a completely unladylike grunt as she shouldered the dead weight of her husband.

"Harold, how could you walk with all of this weight?" she muttered under her breath.

The dead man made no reply.

Louisa paused in the dark alleyway to glance over her shoulder, her free hand reaching up to pull her cloak around her face. Ladies, after all, did not carry the dead bodies of their husbands. At least, not where people could see them.

A door slowly creaked open a few feet away from her, making her start. She laughed quietly and hurried towards the newly opened doorway. How silly, as if she actually needed to be afraid of anything.

The shadowy outline of a man was waiting just inside the door, his handsome face almost completely hidden by the shadows that were cast by the street lamps on the streets outside.

"Is this it?" he asked gruffly.

"Really, Thomas, as if you could do any better," Louisa snapped.

Thomas winced and looked away, suddenly uncomfortable.

"I told you not to call me that," he whispered.

"And why not? That is your name, is it not?"

Thomas hesitated, making Louisa frown. Was he starting to think for himself? That would not do for the remainder of the plan.

"Yes," Thomas answered finally. "My name is Thomas."

Louisa sighed quietly with relief.

"Help me get this dear gentleman into the master's room, will you?" Louisa snapped brusquely. "He has been kept waiting long enough."

Thomas nodded silently and extended his hands to help support some of the man's weight. Louisa happily handed some of the weight over to the strong human man.

"What a gentleman you are," she simpered.

Thomas didn't say anything.

The door to the master's room had been carefully shut so as to keep light from entering the room from the cracks beneath it. The inside of the room reflected the door itself. Heavy damask drapes covered the large windows that would otherwise have showed the London streets and the sun that was slowly rising over the grey horizon. A pale man was reclining on an ash-grey couch that had been pushed against the wall which was farthest from the window, his scarred arms thrown gracefully over his chiseled features, his tousled brown hair falling messily into his face.

"Yes?" he murmured, his voice muffled by the arm that had been thrown over his mouth.

"I have brought you what you asked for, my lord," Louisa purred.

The man chuckled and moved his arm slightly, revealing charming hazel eyes.

"How kind of you, Louisa," he whispered. "How old?"

"He has only been dead for a few hours," Louisa admitted, slightly embarrassed.

The man grimaced distastefully.

"I am sorry my lord," Louisa whispered, her voice thick with tears.

"It is quite alright, my dear," the man said soothingly. "Your achievements are quite exemplary for a vampire of your age. Besides, I am sure that Thomas would be more than willing to supply what is lacked by this offering."

Thomas met the man's expectant gaze steadily and nodded.

The man smiled, revealing sharp pointed teeth.

"Excellent," he hissed. "After all, I need my strength for the journey to Derbyshire."

"Darcy thinks that Wickham is returning?" Mary repeated, her pale eyes narrowed with sudden fear.

"I'm sure that he is simply still recovering from his nightmare last night," James assured her, his strong arms wrapping around her waist from behind.

Mary sighed and leaned back into her husband's embrace.

"I just worry, James," she admitted. "We've never killed a vampire as powerful as Wickham before. Who is to say that he won't come back?"

"He won't," James said firmly.

"How do you know for sure?" Mary whispered.

"We can't dwell on this, Mary," James said curtly. "We have enough on our plates as it is."

"What do you-?" Mary began.

"Never mind," James interrupted, his voice abruptly gentle. "It's nothing you need to worry about."

Mary nodded, unconvinced, and turned around to face her husband.

James forced himself to smile at her, although it felt more natural to sigh. He didn't know why he refused to tell Mary about the state of the finances and his absent inheritance. Perhaps he simply didn't want to worry her.

_Or perhaps_, a snide voice in his head whispered. _You just don't want to have to admit that it's her fault. After all, if you had married a rich heiress as you had planned, you wouldn't be in this mess, now would you?_

James pushed the voice away hastily and pulled his wife closer. He couldn't dwell on this now. Things would work out….

They had to.

"Fitzwilliam, look here."

Darcy turned in the direction of his wife's voice, a wide smile breaking across his handsome face at the sight of his son.

Edmund grinned back at his father and stumbled to his side. Darcy knelt down and pulled Edmund into his embrace.

"He is getting stronger," he remarked cheerfully.

Elizabeth chuckled and walked to her husband, her green eyes soft as she watched her family.

"Well, he is your son," she pointed out.

Darcy rolled his eyes.

"Since when did you become so humble?" he teased.

"You mean I wasn't always this charming and modest?" she laughed.

Darcy chuckled and pressed his lips gently to her forehead. Elizabeth's smile widened and she reached up with her mouth, her lips seeking his.

The scent of blood overwhelmed him, making his mouth water and his stomach twist with nausea.

Darcy pulled back, his eyes widening with horror.

Elizabeth frowned, her muscles tensing expectantly as she looked around for whatever had alarmed her husband. Her frown deepened when she saw no one else was in the room.

"Fitzwilliam, what-?" she began.

Darcy pressed Edmund into her arms and turned away hastily, his long legs carrying him out of the room before she had a chance to finish.

"I must have some time to myself, Elizabeth," he told her shortly. "Do not- do not disturb me, please."

Elizabeth nodded in agreement, her eyes following Darcy as he left the room.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All of the credit belongs to the amazing Jane Austen! Sorry it took so long to update, but school is very busy. Thanks to all those who read and/or reviewed this story. You all rock!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

Georgiana paused outside of the door that led to her brother's chambers. Even from the corridor, she could hear Darcy's heavy footfalls as he paced up and down the carpeted mahogany floors. Georgiana lifted her hand to knock on the door, then paused again.

"What do you want, Georgiana?" Darcy called sharply from within his chambers.

Georgiana winced at how sharp his voice sounded.

"Fitzwilliam," she said softly. "I- Elizabeth-."

Darcy sighed.

"Elizabeth," he murmured. "She's worried, isn't she?" he guessed, his voice slightly louder now.

"We both are," Georgiana told him. "She doesn't- I don't understand-."

"I know," Darcy interrupted. "But… it is better this way. For now, at least."

Georgiana gasped and took an involuntary step away from her brother's door. She had heard those words before.

"Fitzwilliam-," she began again.

"Go away, Georgiana," Darcy ordered wearily. "Tell Elizabeth to stay in her own chambers tonight," he added softly.

Georgiana started to turn away and hesitated.

"Fitzwilliam," she whispered. "What is really happening to you?"

"I do not know," he murmured back.

Lady Helena Fitzwilliam walked up to the doors that led to her husband's bedchambers. She paused for a moment, an unexplainable feeling of foreboding rising up within her.

_Why am I afraid of Henry?_ She asked herself. _I love him, and he would never hurt me._

Still, the fear remained. Perhaps it wasn't a fear of Henry but… it was a fear of something.

Helena shook herself and pushed one of the heavy wooden doors open, a small grunt of exertion breaking through her lips as she struggled against the weight of the thick oak. One of her hands drifted towards her abdomen as the child inside of her gave a nervous kick.

"Shh," she murmured to the child. "Every thing is alright. Your father is-." Helena broke off suddenly, her eyes going wide with horror as her startled scream shattered the silence that had hung around the torn hangings and overturned furniture since the room's master had been taken hours before.

The child gave another startled kick at the sound of its mother's scream, its anxiety increasing.

For it seemed that Sir Henry Fitzwilliam was not there after all. He was gone.

"Well?"

Georgiana looked up, her cheeks flushing red with embarrassment in response to Elizabeth's intense gaze.

"I- Fitzwilliam said that you need to stay in your own chambers tonight," she murmured with embarrassment.

Elizabeth stared for a moment at her sister-in-law, her lips falling open in a shocked gasp.

"What?" she gasped. "But- He's never- Why?"

Georgiana looked down at her feet, her blue eyes flickering to where her young nephew sat solemnly in the corner, his green-blue eyes watching her with an adult alertness.

"He didn't say," she whispered. "I do not think he even knows what the dilemma is. However… I think you should do as he says, Lizzie."

"I didn't say that I wouldn't," Elizabeth objected. "If Fitzwilliam does not want my company, then…" She broke off suddenly, her expression pained.

"I do not think that he is tired of you," Georgiana assured her gently.

"Then why is he doing this? Why must he separate us?" Elizabeth demanded.

"My brother has his reasons for doing what he does," Georgiana explained. "And I am speaking from experience when I tell you that Fitzwilliam's actions are usually the right ones."

Elizabeth sighed and walked across the room. Edmund looked up at her and held out his thin arms. Elizabeth forced herself to smile as she picked up her son and looked back at Georgiana.

"I hope his actions are right this time," was all she said.

"Master Fitzwilliam."

James looked up from the paper he had been reading, his eyebrows rising as he looked at his butler.

"Yes, Jeremiah?" he replied, his voice slightly thick with exhaustion.

Mary chuckled at the sound of her husband's voice and pried the paper out of his hands.

"I told you not to stay up this late reading news," she whispered in his ear.

"Yes, but then we would have missed this delightful intrusion from Jeremiah," James pointed out.

He looked back at his butler and motioned for him to continue.

Jeremiah cleared his throat.

"There is a servant waiting in the vestibule to speak with you, sir," he told him. "He is wearing Sir Henry's colors."

James leapt out of his chair and walked quickly towards the vestibule. He cast a quick smile at his wife before carefully shutting the door after him.

The servant looked up as James entered the room and straightened his shoulders. He pressed his right hand to his chest and bowed.

"Mr. James," he murmured.

"Hello, Sam," James greeted cheerfully. "Do you have word from my brother?"

Sam glanced down at the floor, his face suddenly pale. James felt something twist in his gut and noticed for the first time that Sam was wearing a black armband.

"About your brother, Mr. James," Sam whispered.

"Yes?" James demanded tightly.

"He's missing."

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All of the credit belongs to the amazing Jane Austen! Sorry for the delay, again, I would have updated yesterday but I was exceptionally busy… anyways, thanks to all of those who have read/reviewed this story! Have a Happy Halloween in case I do not update before then!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

"Missing?" James repeated angrily for perhaps the fortieth time that night. "How? When?"

"The question you should be asking is 'Why?'" Mary said calmly. She got up from one of the cushioned chairs that stood in front of the desk in James's study and walked to the large window that took up most of the outer wall.

"Yes, why indeed," Bingley murmured, his red hair still slightly tangled with sleep. He and Jane had been summoned by Jeremiah shortly after James had learned of his brother's disappearance.

"I do not think the why is much of a mystery, Charles," Elizabeth said impatiently. She, Georgiana, and Darcy had also been summoned, although Darcy had yet to make an appearance. "Considering the activities we have all participated in, it is a wonder that such a thing has not happened before."

"Are you suggesting that my brother was abducted by a vampire?" James snapped.

"Probably more than one vampire," Georgiana mused, her blue eyes sad. "It is quite difficult for a single vampire to pull off such a successful kidnapping on his own. He would need several accomplices to secure the area and make sure that no other member of the house is alerted or awakened during the kidnapping."

"I do not think that latter would have been very hard to do if Sir Fitzwilliam's rooms were removed from the main area of the house like Mr. Darcy's are," Jane pointed out. "Depending on the location of his chambers, it is not much of a wonder that no one heard him being kidnapped."

"Will you stop discussing this?" James yelled his face red with a sudden fury. "My brother has been kidnapped and you all sit around discussing the details of his attack as if we were having tea!"

"James," Mary whispered soothingly. She left her position at the window to walk to her husband's side. She placed one of her hands on James's shoulder and placed the other one against his cheek.

"We understand how you feel," she told him gently. "But we must confront this in a rational manner if we are to figure out the reasoning behind it all. Allowing our emotions to run amuck will not do anyone any good."

James looked back at his wife, a strange hollow look in his eyes.

"You understand me, do you?" he muttered, his tone tainted with a mysterious touch of irony. He turned back to the others, his jaw clenched.

"Well," he growled. "Since we are confronting this rationally, what actions shall we take?"

The others hesitated, causing James's irritation to rise.

"Well?" he repeated.

"I think that it would be best for us to understand what we are up against before we go rushing into anything," Jane suggested cautiously. "After all, the last time one of us charged into battle without proper preparation, we were all nearly killed."

Elizabeth blushed, clearly remembering her own stupidity in going against Wickham, and forced herself to continue to hold her head up.

"I agree with Jane," she said firmly. "It would not do to repeat past mistakes."

Bingley nodded in agreement with his wife and sister-in-law, his kind face slightly alarmed by the withering glance James directed at him.

Georgiana looked down at the floor and gave a tiny nod to indicate her agreement, clearly afraid of James's temper at the moment.

James looked at each of them in turn, trying to fight the irritation that was rising inside of him, before turning at last to his wife.

Mary met his gaze calmly, a small flicker of hurt in her pale eyes the only reaction to his anger.

"I agree with my family," she whispered.

"Am I not one of your family, Mary?" James murmured back, his voice harsh.

"Yes, you are," Mary conceded. "And we will take action against those who have harmed your brother. However, the rest of my family is also suggesting that we wait and see who we are against, and I agree with them as well."

James sighed and nodded, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Very well," he said tightly. "I will go to London tomorrow to see what I can find."

"I will go with-," Mary began.

"No!" James interrupted hastily. "No," he added more gently, his hand curling around hers as it rested on his shoulder. "I want you to stay here, out of danger."

Mary glared at him, her mouth opening to argue.

"I will go with him, Mary," Bingley added quickly. "I, too, have business in London with my dear sister Louisa."

James frowned but saw that he would lose this battle as well if he chose to fight it. He shrugged and turned away towards the window that had so interested Mary moments before.

"Very well," he sighed. "In that case, you should go home, Charles. You will need your rest. The same goes for you, Georgiana, and you too, Elizabeth. Darcy will never forgive me if I make you two ill."

"If you wish, James," Elizabeth sighed. She curtsied to him and hugged Mary briefly. "We will come in the morning to see them off," she assured her sisters before she led Georgiana out of the study.

After a few moments, Jane and Bingley also took their leave, although not before they had cast anxious glances over their shoulders at Mary's husband.

"I think that you should go for a walk about the grounds," Mary told him quietly as soon as she returned from seeing Jane and Bingley off.

James nodded, his eyes fixed on the shadowy figure that waited beneath a weeping willow at the edge of the grounds.

"I was wondering when he would show up," he murmured.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, all of the credit goes to the awesome Jane Austen. And, since I received a question about this, the thing with Lady Helena from the last chapter was just the scene where she discovered that James's brother was missing, it was not a memory or a dream (both of those will be in italics when they do appear). Also, Lady Helena and Sir Henry Fitzwilliam are not my characters either, they come from another book called "A Match for Mary Bennet". Thanks to all of those who read and reviewed this story!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6

Darcy looked up as James approached his ice blue eyes careful beneath his dark hair.

"You know Fitzwilliam, the door works perfectly well," James pointed out.

Darcy's eyes tightened and he looked out over the darkened grounds that surrounded James's manor house.

"I have my reasons for remaining out here, James," he murmured.

James raised his eyebrows.

"Reasons?" he repeated. He frowned suddenly, his eyes worried. "Darcy, are you?"

"It's nothing, James," Darcy sighed. "What is the news?"

"Charles has decided to accompany me to London to assist in my search for Henry," James told him. "Mary is not very happy about that but…. I can't have her in danger, Darcy."

Darcy nodded, his gaze sympathetic.

"And if you can't find Henry?" he prompted his cousin gently.

"I will find him," James snapped.

Darcy shrugged and turned away.

"Well then," he murmured. "You will let me know if you need any help, James," he added in a louder voice.

James sighed and nodded his assent.

"Will I see you with Elizabeth and Georgiana tomorrow?" he asked.

Darcy shook his head, his jaw tight.

James frowned. Was it his imagination, or was his cousin not breathing?

"Darcy?" he murmured, his hand reaching out to clasp his shoulder. Darcy stiffened and pulled away.

"Don't come near me, James," he growled. "Please," he added quietly.

James hesitated for a moment before giving a sigh of defeat.

"Take care then, Darcy."

James wasn't particularly surprised to see Mary waiting for him in the parlor. He wasn't even surprised to see the disapproving look on her face. What did surprise him was when she suddenly vomited onto the carpet.

"Mary!" James gasped. He rushed to her side and pulled his wife's hair away from her face as Jeremiah rushed in with a bucket, Mary's maid Helena close behind him.

Mary looked up from the bucket after her vomiting had ceased, her normally pale face red with fatigue and embarrassment.

"I-I am so sorry," she croaked.

James smiled reassuringly and helped her to the loveseat.

"Are you alright?" he asked tenderly. "Did you eat something-?"

"No," she sighed. "No, I assure you I am fine. I was perfectly alright until a few minutes ago…"

James shook his head, a wry smile twisting his lips.

"Nevertheless," he murmured. "I will be much happier if you go to bed immediately. And actually go to sleep this time."

Mary's blush deepened and her jaw clenched.

"No," she said firmly. "I need to ask you something before you leave, James."

James's smile disappeared and her looked over his shoulder at Jeremiah and Helena, who were hovering quietly at the edges of the room.

"You may go," he told them curtly.

They bowed and walked silently out of the room, carrying the half-filled bucket with them.

James waited until the door had closed behind them before he turned back to Mary.

"What do you want to know?" he asked her warily.

Mary hesitated for a moment, her eyes uncertain.

"I- James, I understand that Henry is your brother and that you must be worried about him, but…"

"But?" James prompted.

Mary looked down at her feet and bit her lip.

"Forgive me, James, but it seems as if your worry for Henry is based on something other than brotherly love."

James sighed heavily and stood up abruptly. Mary leaned back against the back of the couch, her grey eyes following him warily as he began to pace.

"I suppose I should have known that I would have to tell you eventually," he muttered. "After all, half of the reason I fell in love with you was because of your intelligence. I just hoped that I would not-." He stopped and paused by the corner of the loveseat. He closed his eyes suddenly as if to block out Mary's image and raised a shaking hand to cover his face.

"James?" Mary's voice was sharp as she watched her husband. "James, what is it?"

"I am in debt, Mary," James admitted in a heavy voice. "I can barely afford to keep this house for another winter, let alone another year. I was relying on the fortune promised to me by my father upon my marriage, but seeing as the money is in Henry's care and he is missing…"

"You did not receive the money," Mary finished, her eyes wide. "James, why didn't you tell me?"

"I-I didn't want to worry you," he muttered.

Mary watched him carefully, her eyes suddenly narrowing.

"That's not all, is it?" she whispered.

"I- no, but I- Mary-."

"James, just tell me," Mary snapped.

"I didn't want to tell you because I was afraid that you would blame yourself," James growled. "Happy now that you know, my dear?"

Mary frowned.

"Why would I blame myself for your debt, James?" she demanded. "Is it really my fault if you make some… less than profitable business decisions?"

"Ah, yes, I suppose those decisions are my fault," James sneered, his eyes hard. "However, since the foremost decision resulted in our marriage, I do not think that I can claim complete responsibility."

"What-?"

"I had my life planned out before I met you, Mary," James told her harshly. "I would spend some time in the army, find an heiress with a decent fortune so that I would no longer be dependant on my wonderful brother, and would then spend my days living off of the fruits of my wonderful plan. And then…"

"And then you met me, is that it?" Mary murmured, her tone icy. "I ruined your perfect plan and cast you into this debt, did I?"

"Look at it this way, Mary," James snapped. "If I hadn't married you we would not be in the middle of this argument, and I dare say we would both be happier with our lives."

"Let me remind you that you proposed to me, James," Mary cried, her grey eyes suddenly wet with tears. "And I highly doubt that being a spinster is a very happy life."

Without waiting for her husband to answer, Mary leapt up from the loveseat and bolted out of the room, her hands moving towards her mouth as she was sick once more.

**Disclaimer: once again, I do not own any of these characters, because all of the credit belongs to the awesome Jane Austen! Sorry for the delay, and thanks for your patience guys! You all rock!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7

Elizabeth looked up and watched as Bingley's carriage rumbled down the drive of the James and Mary's estate, her eyes creasing into a frown. She had thought that Darcy would have come to see his cousin and her sister off but… apparently not.

Edmund's small hand squeezed hers, making Elizabeth look around her. Jane had also noticed the carriage and had her arms wrapped around Bingley in a farewell embrace as she whispered last minute warnings into his ear. James's face was turned towards the second story window of his estate, his eyebrows creased together with slight concern. Edmund watched his uncle for a moment before turning back to Elizabeth with a confused expression.

"Why sad?" he asked quietly.

Elizabeth smiled reassuringly at her son and scooped him up into her arms.

"Uncle James is simply wondering where your Aunt Mary is, my dear," she murmured. Another frown made an appearance one her brow again as she said the words. Mary was another person who had been noticeably absent from the morning's events.

"Where An Mayrie?" Edmund whimpered.

"She is unwell," James said shortly.

Elizabeth glanced over at James. He forced a small smile and clasped Elizabeth's shoulder briefly in farewell before disappearing into the carriage. Bingley laughed and detached himself from Jane.

"It seems our friend James is in a bit of a hurry," he chuckled. "Take care Jane, Elizabeth." He ruffled Edmund's hair playfully, another laugh breaking from his lips as the child reached for him with short arms.

"It seems I am well loved here, I shall be quite deprived in London."

"That is more of an excuse for you to come back to us quickly," Jane pointed out.

Bingley smiled at his wife and gave her a parting kiss on the cheek before he climbed into the carriage after James.

Elizabeth smiled and joined her son and sister as they waved to the two men. She turned back to towards James's estate just in time to see one of the curtains of the second story windows shift back into place.

Mary watched the carriage until it disappeared around the bend of the drive, her grey eyes burning with sudden tears. She turned away from the window and stumbled back to the bucket that she had brought with her as another bought of sickness came over her.

She moaned and sat heavily in the wingchair by her chamber window after she had finished vomiting, her hands reaching up to cover her eyes.

She had figured out what was wrong with her after she had gone to bed and remembered Elizabeth's experiences before Edmund had been born. Her hunches had been further enforced when her lady's maid had sent up ginger instead of the usual medicine, with the excuse that her sister had used it when she was with her second child.

Mary felt the burning in her eyes increase at the thought of the child within her and got abruptly to her feet. She knew that James would have been thrilled at the prospect of having a child under normal circumstances, knew that Darcy had been overjoyed when Elizabeth told him about Edmund. Of course, Darcy and Elizabeth hadn't been in the midst of financial troubles, and these were not normal circumstances. With her and James's relationship strained and finances the way they were… Would she even be able to give this child a home?

"Good morning, Ma'am."

"Good morning Jasmine," Elizabeth said cheerfully. She nodded in acknowledgement of the maid's curtsy and gently set Edmund down on the floor. Her son flashed her a small smile before darting off in the direction of Georgiana's rooms.

"How is Georgiana?" Elizabeth asked. Darcy's sister had woken up with a fever and had been unable to see James and Bingley off.

"Miss Darcy has made some improvements in her health, Madam," Jasmine murmured respectfully. "Mr. Darcy has been in to see her and she was able to have some toast a little while ago."

"Excellent. Is Fitzwilliam still with Georgiana?"

"No, ma'am. He left a few moments ago."

_In other words, he left as soon as I walked through the door_, Elizabeth thought sourly. She nodded once more to Jasmine and followed Edmund into Georgiana's rooms, her eyes going immediately to Darcy's door down the hall.

"Why are you hiding from me, Fitzwilliam?" she whispered.

"Ah, London," Bingley sighed, his face twisting into a comical mix of disgust and excitement. "So busy, so full of life, so…"

"So filled with smog and extremely rude people," James added with half a smile.

Bingley chuckled.

"Ah yes, you can't forget the smog," he murmured.

James rolled his eyes.

"You and Jane must have the most boring dinner conversations," he observed.

Bingley frowned.

"How so?" he demanded.

"Well, seeing as neither of you can stand to hear a word against anybody, you must abhor gossip of any kind and therefore have nothing whatsoever to occupy your discussions."

"Not all talk is composed of gossip, James," Bingley pointed out. He paused for a moment, his expression almost hesitant. "Pray, enlighten me."

James raised his eyebrows and motioned for him to continue.

"What happened between you and Mary?" Bingley continued cautiously.

James frowned and turned away.

"I do not know what you are talking about," he murmured.

"I think you do," Bingley insisted. "Jane thinks so as well. She has never known Mary to be so ill that she could not be amongst those she cares for."

"Mary was ill last night," James told him shortly.

"You told her about your debt, didn't you?" Bingley guessed softly.

"In a matter of speaking," James sighed.

Bingley frowned.

"What do you mean? Surely she has not abandoned you because of money? I am sure that Mary-."

"She does not care about the money. At least, she didn't."

"Why does she care now?"

James shook his head and turned away.

"Drop it, Charles," he snapped. "We're here," he added in a slightly calmer voice.

Bingley sighed and looked up at the creamy façade of James's brother's house.

"If you will not tell me, at least promise that whatever happened between you and Mary will not destroy your marriage," he pleaded. "It would hurt all of us. Especially Edmund," he added with a cautious smile. "I do not think the boy's tender heart could bear it if something were to happen between his 'Uncle Jay' and 'An Mayrie'."

James grinned despite himself.

"Well, I would certainly hate to harm my dear nephew," he laughed.

James's grin disappeared the moment the door to his brother's house opened. An elegant woman with flowing gold hair and gentle brown eyes walked out to meet them, her hands curved around her large abdomen protectively.

"James," she whispered, her lips trembling.

"Helena," he sighed. He walked swiftly to the woman's side and pulled her into a gentle embrace. "My brother-in-law, Charles Bingley," he added as he detached himself from her arms and gestured towards Bingley.

Bingley bowed awkwardly.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Fitzwilliam," he murmured.

"How are you, Helena?" James asked. "How long until your… confinement?"

"Not much longer, James," she told him with a slight smile. "A few more weeks, I believe. You are welcome to stay until then if you are so concerned about me."

James grimaced, making Helena giggle.

"Goodness, James," she teased. "What on earth will you do when you have a child of your own on the way?"

James's eyes darkened and he looked down.

"You have a charming house, Lady Helena," Bingley interjected hastily.

"Thank you, Mr. Bingley," Helena replied politely. "My- my husband was fond of it as well." She looked away for a moment, her brown eyes swimming with sudden tears.

"He is a brilliant man, then, to have such fine taste in architecture," he said kindly.

Helena smiled up at him.

"If this is an example of the rest of James's family, I shall have to make more of an effort to become acquainted with them," she chuckled. "Come now, and let me show you to your rooms. You must think that I am a perfectly vile hostess."

"Not at all, madam," Bingley told her chivalrously. "I find your conversation to me more charming than any parlor or drawing room."

"Ah, a silver tongue and a golden sense of humor," Helena giggled. "Clearly, Derbyshire is a charming community."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8

"Is this it, then?" James demanded.

"Yes," Helena murmured.

Bingley frowned and walked into the room. He paused for a moment by the window, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"We should have brought Elizabeth," he pointed out. "She would have been able to tell us whose aura was in here."

"If she could even recognize the aura," James sighed. "Besides, Darcy wouldn't have let us take her."

"I beg your pardon, James," Helena interrupted from the doorway. "Your sister-in-law can see auras? Is this a jest?"

James winced and glared at Bingley, who shrugged guiltily.

"There are certain things that you don't know about this world, Helena," he said carefully. "And, at the moment, I would prefer if you would continue to be unaware. Now, if you would be so kind as to leave us…?"

Helena sighed and nodded reluctantly. James waited until the door had shut behind her before he turned back to Bingley.

"Try and be more careful in the future, Charles," he growled.

"Might I remind you that you spoke of Elizabeth's gifts as well?" Bingley shot back. "James," he added after a moment, his voice suddenly serious. "James, come look at this."

James walked way from the carpet that he had been investigating and joined Bingley by the window.

"What is it?" he asked quietly.

"This window was opened from the inside the last time it was used," Bingley murmured.

James frowned.

"How can you tell?" he hissed.

"The hinges," Bingley whispered. He gestured towards the objects in question, which were rusting slightly at the corners. "Smithy, my father's butler, once told me that windows that are opened from the inside always rust at the corners, just like these hinges have."

"What does it mean, then?" James asked.

"James," Bingley sighed. "I don't think that your brother was kidnapped. I think he left willingly."

Darcy looked out of his window and watched as Elizabeth and Georgiana rode across the lawns of Pemberley. He smiled as he caught sight of Edmund sitting in front of his mother on the saddle, which he clung to with solemn determination.

_Perhaps Elizabeth is right_, he thought wryly. _Perhaps he is like me._

Darcy recoiled suddenly as the scent of a passing maid wafted beneath his door, the smell of her blood making his stomach churn at the same time that it made his mouth water.

"Oh God," he whispered in agony. _Please don't let my son be like me, if this is what I am_, he added silently.

"Fitzwilliam?"

Darcy jumped and whirled around to see Elizabeth standing in the doorway. Damn, he hadn't noticed them come in.

"Elizabeth," he sighed. "I told you not to-."

"I know you didn't, I decided to ignore you," she shot back.

Darcy frowned and turned away, trying to ignore the way the scent of her blood seemed to pulse through the room.

"Elizabeth," he growled. "You need to go. Now."

"No," she hissed back. "Fitzwilliam, we swore to be honest with each other, and at the moment you are not holding up that promise. I want to know why."

"Please, Lizzie," Darcy pleaded.

"I said no!" Elizabeth shouted. She paused for a moment, her eyes closing as she struggled to regain her composure. "No," she said again, more calmly. "I will not go. Not until you tell me what you are hiding from me."

"But you already know, don't you?" Darcy murmured his eyes hard.

Elizabeth didn't answer.

"How long have you known?" he asked quietly.

"After you refused to be in the same room with me, after I saw the way Georgiana looked when she came back to tell me that you wanted me to stay away, after I saw some of your aura on James the day he left and noticed the way he seemed to focus more on my neck than on my face… it wasn't hard to put the pieces together."

Darcy sighed and pressed his hand against his eyes. He had under estimated his wife's observational skills.

"How long have you been suffering?" Elizabeth asked quietly. "Did it begin that day with Edmund or-?"

"That day was the first time that I had experienced this since my first encounter with Wickham," Darcy interrupted. "However, I had a dream about it before then."

"I see," Elizabeth murmured. "How long do you think it will last?"

"I don't know, I don't even know why I began to crave blood in the first place," Darcy sighed.

"Do you only crave for my blood?"

"No, all blood appeals to me. Yours, Edmund's, and Georgiana's are the worst, although that is probably because I am so afraid of hurting you."

Elizabeth was silent. She walked towards the window that he had so recently stood before, her green eyes flickering thoughtfully across Pemberley's sprawling grounds.

"Would it make things easier for you, if I were to go with Edmund and Georgiana to visit Mary for a week or two?" she asked finally.

Darcy sucked in a sharp breath against the anguish that flowed through him at the thought of driving Elizabeth out of her home because of him. Elizabeth turned around to watch him, her gaze softening.

"I can stay if you do not like the idea," she whispered. "However," she added. "I must insist that Edmund go to Mary's, at least. I wish to keep our son safe if there is any danger."

"No," Darcy murmured. "If Edmund leaves, you must go with him. I will not have our son lose both of his parents, even if it is only for a temporary time."

"I don't want to leave you alone here, Fitzwilliam," his wife told him.

"I know," he said gently. "I don't want you to leave me, either. Now, go and tell Georgiana and Mary. I shall let the housekeeper know of your plans so that they can start packing your things."

Elizabeth nodded and started out of the room. She paused in front of the door and turned around.

"You know, I do believe that James's brother could not have picked a better city to visit than London," she mused. "Especially if he is dealing with vampires. I remember Mary and I were only able to get a hold of the vampire cure we used on Charles because of our acquaintance there. He is quite an expert on vampries."

Darcy smiled. He crossed the room and pressed his lips briefly to Elizabeth's forehead, ignoring the reaction the scent of her blood caused inside of him.

"Thank you, Lizzie," he whispered.

"Willingly?" James repeated. "My brother could not have- he loves Helena."

"Henry could still love his wife, even if he left her willingly," Bingley pointed out.

"He wouldn't leave her," James snapped. "He wouldn't leave me."

"I'm sorry, James."

"Move," James growled. He pushed past Bingley and shoved the windows open.

"James," Bingley gasped. "James, what are you doing?"

James ignored him and ducked through the newly open window. He crouched on the window ledge and bent over the balustrades that lined the edge of the ledge.

"Oh my God," he whispered, his tone almost awed.

"What?" Bingley demanded.

James looked up, his face pale.

"Bingley," he whispered. "Do you happen to know this?"

And he held up a small scrap that had been torn off of a handkerchief, a small scrap of linen that had the initials L.B. embroidered in red silk thread across the surface.

"Louisa," Bingley moaned.

**Note: I do not own any of these characters, all of the credit belongs to the amazing Jane Austen! Thanks to everyone who read/reviewed this story, and Happy Thanksgiving! **


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9

Darcy waited until his wife, sister, and son had reached the door of Mary's house before signaling for the carriage to continue on the road that led to London. He glanced out of the window, a sad smile twisting his features when he saw Elizabeth and Georgiana watching him go. He waved to them as the carriage pulled farther and farther away until at last they were only small dots in the distance.

"I will see you soon," he promised to the absent women. _I hope_, he added mentally.

Elizabeth watched the carriage until it disappeared around the bend on the way to London, a lump forming in her throat.

"He will be fine, Elizabeth," Georgiana assured her quietly.

"I know," she sighed. "However, that doesn't stop me from missing him."

Georgiana smiled in understanding before reaching down to grab Edmund as he made to follow his father's now absent carriage.

"No, Edmund," she said soothingly. "We are going to stay with your Aunt Mary while your father is away."

Edmund looked up at her with confusion before looking back at the place where Darcy had last been seen.

"Papa?" he asked quietly.

"No, darling," Elizabeth whispered. "Papa had to leave for a little while."

Edmund's lips trembled for a moment as tears welled up in his eyes. He buried his head in his mother's arms, his throat working as he tried to hold back his tears.

"Shh," Elizabeth crooned. She ran her hands through her son's curly red-brown hair and nodded towards Georgiana, who promptly knocked on Mary's door.

Mary answered almost immediately, her pale eyes concerned beneath her brown hair.

"Lizzie," she sighed. "Georgiana. What happened? I heard that Darcy was going away, only I do not know why-."

"Fitzwilliam is experiencing a few problems that can only be solved by a trip to London," Elizabeth explained quickly.

"He has been exhibiting some… vampiric tendencies," Georgiana added quietly.

Mary frowned and stepped back to allow the girls and her nephew in to the house.

"What kind of vampiric tendencies?" she asked cautiously.

"He has a thirst for human blood," Elizabeth said shortly.

"Ah," Mary murmured. She smiled down at her nephew and bent to pick him up. She grimaced and straightened up, her hand moving to her stomach.

"Mary?" Elizabeth asked, her voice suddenly sharp. "What's wrong?"

Mary blushed and looked back down at her abdomen.

"Oh my," her sister gasped. "Are you-?"

"I wish I knew if it was a boy or a girl," Mary murmured shyly. "It is quite difficult to think of names when the gender is unknown."

Elizabeth laughed and pulled her younger sister into a gentle hug.

"Does James know?" she asked.

Mary's face fell for a moment at the mention of her husband's name.

"I- I have not been able to tell him," she whispered.

Elizabeth frowned and exchanged a concerned glance with Georgiana across the room.

"Did you and James have a disagreement?" Georgiana asked cautiously.

Mary nodded miserably, her face pressed against Elizabeth's shoulder.

"I do not even know if he will come back," she mumbled.

"Of course he will," Elizabeth soothed.

"How do you know he will?" her sister whimpered.

"Because-."

But Elizabeth would never be able to tell Mary why her husband would come back, for at that moment the door was thrown open.

Darcy's head snapped up as the carriage came to an abrupt halt, his eyes narrowing as the sounds of a struggle reached him through the thin walls of the carriage.

"Mason?" he called sharply. "Is everything alright?"

There was no answer. Darcy's nostrils flared as the smell of freshly spilled blood reached him and tightened his grip on the wooden stake that had been hidden up his sleeve.

He reached slowly for the carriage door, his muscles tensing as he prepared to lunge.

A shadow passed across the carriage window for a moment before Darcy was thrown back. His head cracked against the corner of the opposite carriage door, making stars erupt in front of his eyes. He groaned and struggled to remain conscious as his eyes focused on the man now looming over him. Darcy's heart stopped for a moment as the blood rushed from his face.

"Miss me?" the vampire hissed.

James ducked away from the lights of the street lamps, his hand going to the swath of black cloth that he had wrapped around his face. Behind him, Bingley tensed as another figure crossed the nearly abandoned street and ducked through the door of one of the ram shackled houses that lined the street.

"Is that another one?" he whispered.

James nodded grimly, his jaw clenched. When they had set off to find the vampires that had taken his brother, he hadn't planned on there being more than Louisa Bingley being behind his brother's kidnapping. Now, after seeing at least three shadowy figures enter the building, he wondered how many more there were.

"Yes," he whispered. "There are more than I had planned on."

"Should we fall back, then?" Bingley hissed. "We could call Darcy or the girls-." Here Bingley stopped, for even in when he was outnumbered he was loath to bring his wife into danger.

"I'm afraid that will not be necessary, gentlemen," a voice said behind them.

James and Bingley whirled around, their gazes resting on the elderly woman who stood behind them, her face hidden by a swath of black muslin.

"Madam," Bingley began.

"Do not address me so informally, infant," the woman snapped. "I lived twenty life times before you were even conceived."

Bingley frowned and took a step back so that he was beside James, whose hands were already wrapped around twin stakes. James suddenly froze, his eyes widening in shock and recognition.

"Lady Catherine?" he gasped.

"Ah, that is more like it," she sneered. Then she lunged and the world descended into darkness.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters! All of the credit belongs to the amazing Jane Austen! Thanks to all of those who read/reviewed this story and I hope you all had an awesome Thanksgiving!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10

Jane stumbled into Mary's drawing room, her hair disheveled and leaving streaks of blood across the shoulders of her ruined dress. Her ashen face was tight with worry, and every second or so her eyes would dart towards the drawing room window, as if searching for pursuers.

"Jane!" Mary and Elizabeth exclaimed.

Their eldest sister motioned for them to soften their voices, her eyes still flickering towards the drawing room window.

"What happened?" Elizabeth demanded in a quieter voice, her legs already carrying her to where her son trembled at Mary's side.

"Vampires," Jane said shortly. "Several of them. They came to my home during tea and convinced the butler to send them into the drawing room. I barely managed to escape by taking Charles's mount from the stables. My housekeeper-." Here Jane's voice broke, her eyes filling at the mention of the unfortunate servant. "They will have turned her by now," she whispered wretchedly.

"Are they coming here?" Georgiana asked, her eyes wide with panic.

Jane nodded.

"Most likely. They seemed very determined to get me, and I heard two of them mention Lizzie and Mary before I dispatched them."

"How many of them?" Mary asked.

"Ten came to my house," Jane reported. "I dispatched three and I think that another was killed by one of the maids when she struck him with a wooden chair leg. They were led by Charles's sister," she added in a whisper.

"Caroline?" Elizabeth gasped.

"No, the other one, Louisa," Jane said quickly. "There was another man with her as well, a tall gentleman with light brown hair and dark eyes. He seemed to be under compulsion but I couldn't be sure…"

Mary frowned and glanced at Elizabeth and Georgiana, already calculating their chances.

"Were Louisa and the man included in the fighting?" she asked cautiously.

"Louisa was not, although the man was," Jane admitted. "I included him in the seven that remain. I only saw Louisa as I was riding away; it seemed that she was observing from afar."

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows and looked back at Mary, whose face had suddenly darkened.

"Then we can depend on seven attackers, since Louisa will no doubt step in if things go downhill," she murmured. "And I think we should be prepared for an eighth incase Jane's maid did not actually kill the vampire."

"We need to put Edmund somewhere safe," Elizabeth added. "I will not have my son killed in this fight."

"There is a cottage at the edge of James's property that has been blessed," Mary suggested. "You could take him there while we-."

"I am not leaving you here to face eight vampires," Elizabeth snapped.

"You will if you want to keep Edmund safe," Mary retorted.

"I could take Edmund," Georgiana suggested quickly. "The vampires do not seem to be after me and they would notice if Elizabeth went missing, I am sure."

"Georgiana is the youngest of us," Jane added, earning herself a grimace from the girl in question. "Besides, if anything goes wrong she will be more than able to take Edmund to Darcy in London."

Elizabeth frowned and nodded slowly, not entirely thrilled with the idea.

"That will leave at least seven others to be taken care of," she mused. "Are you sure that Louisa will intervene?"

"I would assume so, although she seemed like she was observing more than anything else," Jane said slowly.

"Then let us hope that she continues observing," Mary said brusquely. "Georgiana, take Edmund and start riding for the cottage. I will send Jeremiah to guide you and send the others-."

Jane's scream interrupted her sister's orders as the drawing room window exploded inwards in a shower of glass, causing the four girls to duck. Georgiana and Elizabeth dove for Edmund, their arms shielding him from the majority of the glass.

"Georgiana, go!" Elizabeth yelled, her hands already clenching around the stakes that had been hidden in her bodice. She pulled away from her son and sister-in-law and leapt into battle, her first stake burying itself in the chest of a raven-haired female vampire as she attempted to attack Mary from behind.

Georgiana leapt to her feet, her arms wrapped protectively around her nephew. She glanced once in the direction of the servants' door at the other end of the drawing room before running towards the shattered window, her arms tightening around Edmund as she prepared to leap through.

Hands grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back, causing Georgiana to cry out. She pulled one of her arms away from Edmund and grabbed the stake that had been hidden in her sleeve. She whirled around and pulled back her arm, preparing to strike…

A man with brown hair and soft chocolate eyes gripped her wrist and twisted it, causing her to drop the stake. His gaze flickered once to the crying boy in Georgiana's arms before he grabbed her once more by the waist and pulled her away from the battle. Georgiana saw Elizabeth's face pale as she noticed them and struggled to pull away from the man. The man gasped in pain as her nails created large welts on his arm, surprising Georgiana. Was this man the human that was under compulsion? Could she release him from the compulsion and convince him to free her?

"Please," she gasped, trying to make herself heard over Edmund's cries. "You don't know what you're doing; please, let me go."

"On the contrary," he said softly. "I know exactly what I am doing. Now, if you will please stop begging and tell me which of those fighting my vampires is my sister-in-law, Mary Fitzwilliam, I will be much obliged."

Georgiana's mouth fell open with shock and she stopped struggling for a moment.

Well, now they knew what had happened to James's brother.

Mary's jaw tightened as the vampire in front of her fell, the pale skin of his throat now coated in blood that flowed from the gash her stake had made. She pushed the body away from her, her arm poised to attack another assailant.

Elizabeth cried out, making Mary stiffen. She whirled around to look at her sister, her pale eyes following Elizabeth's gaze to where Georgiana and Edmund were being led away by a brown-haired man.

"I'll get them," Mary yelled, her legs already carrying her towards the man.

Elizabeth nodded uneasily and lashed out at her current foe, her stake creating a trail of destruction across the vampire's chest.

The man turned just as Mary approached, his eyes hard. He released Georgiana and Edmund and raised his arms to ward off her blows.

"Leave them alone," Mary growled.

"You fool." Was all he said in reply.

Mary frowned and blocked his next attack with the hilt of her stake, her legs already positioned for a roundhouse kick. The man caught her leg in the middle of its journey to his abdomen and thrust her away, causing her to stumble and fall. Mary looked up at the man, her eyes darkening as he took a dagger out of his waistband and raised it for the final blow.

"Aunt Mayrie!" Edmund screamed, his young face twisted with fear for his aunt.

The man froze, his eyes widening.

"Mary?" he repeated. "Mary Fitzwilliam?"

Mary tensed, her expression giving him all the answer he needed.

"Stay here and do not make a sound," the man instructed hastily. "My… men will not harm you so long as they think you are incapacitated."

"My sisters," Mary spat.

"They will not be harmed," he assured her. "In fact…" The man paused and looked back at the last of his vampires as they were dispatched by Jane and Elizabeth. "Stay here," he repeated firmly. "You will all be safe so long as you do not do anything."

"How do I know you won't just turn around and kill me as soon as my guard is down?" Mary demanded.

The man gave her a half-smile.

"Ah, so intelligent," he murmured. "I should learn to listen more to my brother when he describes his wife."

Mary's mouth fell open and she made as if to speak but the man was already gone.

Henry bounded over the fallen bodies of his men, his brown eyes fixed on the two sisters as they raced towards him. He paused for a moment and waited for them to approach, his brown eyes flickering to Louisa's hiding place. He met the vampire's gaze for a moment as he threw the bomb into the air.

A black cloud fell over the drawing room, blocking its inhabitants from sight. Henry darted away from the place where he had left the two sisters, his long legs carrying him over the rim of the ruined window frame in an instant.

Louisa met him at the door, her eyebrows raised at the lack of vampire soldiers behind him.

"The Bennet sisters were formidable opponents," Henry murmured.

"I take it that they are formidable no longer, Thomas?" she sneered.

"No, ma'am," Henry whispered. "They are gone."

He walked away with the vampire, hoping that she would not hear the sounds of horses' hooves as four of James Fitzwilliam's mounts made their escape from his stables.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters! All of the credit belongs to the amazing Jane Austen! Thanks again to all who read and reviewed this story! You guys rock!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 11

Darcy groaned as he regained consciousness, a dull throbbing at the back of his head a reminder that he hadn't been dreaming when he saw-.

"Good morning, my dear Mr. Darcy," a silky voice purred.

Darcy groaned again.

"Wickham," he sighed. He wrenched his eyes open, blinking rapidly to clear the black spots that remained from his unconsciousness as he tried to focus on the monster in front of him.

"Are you comfortable?" Wickham sneered. "I know your rooms aren't exactly up to the standards of Pemberley but… well, what can you do?"

"Indeed," Darcy muttered. "I must say, I didn't expect to see you again, Wickham."

"Its funny how these things turn out, isn't it?" Wickham chuckled. "I admit, I didn't even know that I was going to see your charming face again. If it hadn't been for your Aunt Catherine…"

"Aunt Catherine?" Darcy repeated, slightly shocked.

Wickham nodded his face smug.

"I have really grown to love that woman," he said. "Between her bringing me back to life with the help of a friendly neighborhood necromancer and her idea to use our connection to make you experience bloodlust-."

"That was you?"

"Of course, Darcy, now stop interrupting," Wickham snapped impatiently. "And then there was the way she took care of your cousin and Mr. Bingley… and of course her plan to use Louisa, who has been a most wonderful asset, and her plan to capture dear Thomas…. Oh, but how selfish of me! Hear I am talking away, and you probably just want to be with your friends, do you not?"

Darcy raised his eyebrows but didn't answer as Wickham lifted him up and dragged him out of whatever room they had been in. Darcy frowned at the sound of chains scraping against rock floors and glanced down to see the items in question wrapped around his ankles.

"Chains, Wickham?"

"Yes, they are a nice touch, aren't they?" Wickham laughed. "I found these at-."

"Mr. Wickham," a voice said sharply.

Wickham stiffened a slight rolling of the eyes the only sign that he was irritated by the newcomer's presence.

"Lady Catherine," he murmured respectfully. "I was taking the prisoner to the holding chamber like you-."

"I told you to lock him up, not blurt out all of our plans," Lady Catherine growled. "Now put him away, please. We have other things to deal with."

Wickham sighed and opened a door that Darcy hadn't noticed before.

"We will talk soon, Darcy," he hissed before throwing Darcy through the entryway.

Darcy clenched his lips against the cry of pain that welled up inside of him as he collided with the packed clay of the new cell he had been thrown into.

"Easy Darcy."

"James?" Darcy groaned.

"Nice to see you're still alive," James sighed. "Although I had rather hoped that you would remain home to watch over Mary and the others since I'm not sure how long Bingley and I will be alive."

"Charles?" Darcy murmured, trying to push himself into a sitting position.

"Yes, I am here," Bingley called wearily from a far corner of the room. "Fitzwilliam, I apologize, but I really do not like your aunt."

"Not a lot of people do, Charles," Darcy chuckled darkly.

"I know I never did."

Darcy frowned and looked around for the source of the newest voice, his ice blue eyes resting on the hunched figure of a man sitting in the shadows the ran along the far side of the room.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

The man looked up, revealing tired eyes that were still startlingly green despite the pallor of his graying skin and the black beard that was beginning to form around his chiseled jaw. A small smile that didn't completely reach his eyes twisted his lips and he pushed a strand of his curling black hair out of his face.

"Really, Darcy, don't you know me?" he asked wryly.

"Oh God," Darcy whispered. "Edmund Darrows? But aren't you-."

"Dead?" Edmund finished wearily. "Believe me, I have wished that I was for years. The vampires that took me captive worked for Lady Catherine. I've been her prisoner ever since."

"Oh God," Darcy repeated.

"He hasn't even told you the worst part," James said dryly.

"Oh?" Darcy sighed.

"They sent Louisa after our wives," Bingley moaned, his voice muffled by the hands that he had pressed against his face.

Elizabeth dismounted carefully from her mount, her son already clasped tightly in her arms.

"Is everyone alright?" she asked sharply, her eyes roving over her sisters as they made their way towards the cottage door.

"If by alright, you mean in one piece, then yes," Mary called back wryly.

"Is the child alright?" Georgiana asked timidly. "I saw Henry throw you…"

Mary placed her hand over her abdomen, her skin slightly pale.

"She should be fine," Elizabeth assured them. "I fell down Pemberley's staircase when I was with Edmund and he was alright. We will simply have to keep Mary out of most of the action when we go to rescue Fitzwilliam and the others."

"Rescue them?" Jane repeated her voice slightly faint from exertion.

"Yes," Elizabeth said firmly. "Henry told us that Louisa's allies had captured Fitzwilliam on his way to London, and they got James and Charles while they were investigating Henry's disappearance."

"Where are they?" Mary asked, her voice abruptly businesslike.

"Cheapside," Elizabeth replied confidently. "It shouldn't be hard to find the address once we are there. I remember Uncle Gardiner giving me the name of an acquaintance of his who knows everything that goes on in Cheapside."

"What of Edmund?" Georgiana asked.

"Papa and Kitty are coming to Pemberley tomorrow while Mama and Lydia go to Norfolk with Aunt Gardiner. I shall leave Edmund in the care of Mrs. Reynolds until Kitty and Papa arrive," Elizabeth said promptly.

"We cannot take our carriages to London," Mary said slowly, her eyes sharp as she planned out their mission. "James and Darcy have already taken theirs and Bingley's would be too recognizable if anyone was looking for us."

"We can go on horse back until we reach the post inn," Jane suggested.

"What of our luggage?" Georgiana pointed out.

"The less the better," Mary decided. "We need to blend in, not stand out."

"We shall figure out these details once we are back at Pemberley," Elizabeth interrupted. "Now, however, we need to think about heading back before Mary's servants think we have perished."

Jane nodded in agreement and glanced out of the cottage window, her eyes straying towards the place where she had last seen her attackers. She thought of Charles, now held in captivity somewhere at the hands of vampires, and silently swore that she would meet her attackers again.

**Hey guys, sorry for the delay this week…. I'm going to give you guys a warning just in case my other updates are late for a couple of weeks; my free time is getting very limited right now what with practices and whatnot and of course there's Christmas… anyways, I'm sure you all don't care about my social life as long as I update, so here you go, no I do not own any of these characters, yes I have an obsession with Jane Austen in case you haven't noticed, and I'll try and get the next update up soon. Have a nice week in the meantime!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 12

When Elizabeth reined her horse in just feet away from Pemberley's majestic front entrance, she wasn't terribly surprised to see her housekeeper Mrs. Reynolds and the butler Mr. Shepherd running towards her in a state of hysterical relief. What did surprise her was the sight of her father running slightly behind the staff, wooden stakes clutched tightly in both of his hands.

"Papa?" Elizabeth called as she handed her squirming son down to the waiting Mrs. Reynolds. She accepted Mr. Shepherd's proffered hand as she dismounted and hurried to her father's side, Jane and Mary not far behind.

"My dear Lizzy," Mr. Bennet sighed, his old face bright with joy at her safety.

"You're here," Elizabeth said stupidly. "How- I didn't expect you until-."

"Tomorrow, I know," Mr. Bennet said shortly. "However, thanks to some fortunate twist of fate, I happened to arrive a day earlier and found your household without its master and in a state of panic over the disappearance of its mistress and heir after an attack on dear Mary's house."

"Yes," Mary said cautiously, her eyes locked on her father's warily. "Some… blackguards-."

"I know perfectly well what the nature of these attackers was, Mary," her father interrupted. "Did they…. Was any blood spilled?"

"You can speak freely in front of us, Mr. Bennet," Mrs. Reynolds spoke up. "Mr. Darcy often left with Miss Georgiana in search of these demons, and he found it necessary to tell myself and Mr. Shepherd why they were leaving. We know perfectly well that there are…creatures in this world."

"Very well then," Mr. Bennet said calmly. "Were any of you bitten?"

"No, Papa," Jane said quietly. "Although we had a very narrow escape… if it hadn't been for a Sir Henry, not all of us would have survived."

"Sir Henry Fitzwilliam?" Mrs. Reynolds gasped. "Mr. Fitzwilliam's elder brother?"

"The same," Georgiana whispered.

"But, didn't Mr. Bingley, Mr. Fitzwilliam, and Mr. Darcy go looking for him in London?" Mr. Shepherd asked.

"Yes, they did," Elizabeth admitted. "However, I think they met with more than they had prepared for. Sir Henry told us that the vampires that attacked us had also captured our husbands."

Mr. Bennet frowned at this, his blue eyes tightening. His head turned in the direction of his grandson as Edmund squirmed again in the arms of Mrs. Reynolds and reached out to take the child into his own arms.

"Darcy, Bingley, and Fitzwilliam were captured by vampires?" he murmured.

"Yes," his eldest daughter said quietly. "We are going to rescue them."

"All of you?" Bennet demanded, his expression once again clouded with worry. A little ways away, Mrs. Reynolds frowned her disapproval.

"Obviously, we are leaving Edmund with you and Mrs. Reynolds," Elizabeth assured him.

"It is still dangerous, Lizzy," Bennet told her.

"I am not leaving Darcy in the hands of vampires," Elizabeth told her father.

"Nor are we leaving James and Bingley," Mary added. Jane nodded her agreement.

Bennet sighed and held his grandson closer.

"Very well," he whispered. "When are you leaving?"

"This evening, if possible," Elizabeth said firmly. "I believe that we can handle horses in the dark."

"Absolutely not," Mrs. Reynolds snapped. "Not only is it unsuitable for ladies to ride without escorts at night, but evening is the time of day when… those creatures come out."

"She has a point, Elizabeth," Georgiana added. "Besides, it should only take us a day to get to London."

Elizabeth frowned and looked around at Mary and Jane for support.

"I'm sorry, Lizzy, but I must agree with Georgiana," Mary admitted. Jane nodded.

Elizabeth sighed.

"Fine," she muttered. "But we shall leave as soon as possible tomorrow morning."

Darcy looked up as the door opened, his shoulders tensing when he saw Wickham walk in with Louisa Bingley and a slightly disheveled man. Beside Darcy, James and Bingley stiffened while Edmund moved farther into the shadows in his corner.

"Hello Darcy," Wickham smirked. "Are you comfortable?"

"I can't really say that I am, Wickham, but somehow I don't think you really wanted me to be," Darcy retorted.

"Too true," Wickham chuckled.

"Hello Charles," Louisa simpered.

"Louisa," Bingley moaned. "Why?"

"Just because you are a simpleton doesn't mean that I have to be one, brother," she hissed. "I know what I want in life."

"I don't think being a vampire counts as life," James interrupted.

Louisa smiled thinly at him.

"Well, aren't you charming," she murmured. "Much more lively than your dear brother."

James frowned and leaned forward, his feet straining against the chains that had been clamped around his ankles.

"Where is Henry?" he growled. "What did you do to him?"

"Why, he's right here," Louisa giggled. "Although, he doesn't answer to Henry now. His name is Thomas, isn't it?"

"Yes," the man murmured respectfully.

James's face paled as he looked at his brother, his brown eyes trying desperately to meet his brother's beneath the strands of light brown hair that fell across Henry's face. Henry looked away, his jaw tightening.

"Tell this wonderful young man what you told me, Thomas," Louisa continued cheerfully. "About the Bennet sisters and Darcy's charming sister Georgiana."

Across the room, Edmund's head shot up as Bingley and Darcy exchanged worried looks. James's eyes tightened and he increased the intensity of stare at his brother.

"What would you like me to tell them, Miss Louisa?" Henry whispered.

"How are the Bennet sisters and Miss Darcy, Thomas?" Wickham hissed, his silver eyes wild with anticipation.

"They are dead," Henry muttered. "Our soldiers killed them in battle."

"Lies," James hissed, his skin deathly pale.

Louisa giggled again.

"No lies, Mr. Fitzwilliam," she smirked. "I witnessed the battle myself. Your wife is dead, as are her sisters and Miss Darcy."

Wickham's laughter mingled with Louisa's at the sight of their prisoner's expressions of agony.

"We shall leave you, then, to think over our cheerful tidings," he chuckled. "Come Louisa. Thomas."

His companions quickly obliged and followed him out of the door. Louisa's laughter could be heard from down the hall as she reveled in the fact that, had Bingley, James, and Darcy stayed with their families, the women wouldn't have died.

"I can't believe this," Darcy moaned as soon as the door had slammed shut.

"You shouldn't," Edmund said quietly. "They were lying."

"How can you tell?" Bingley asked, his normally bright face dull with misery. "How can you possibly tell that they weren't telling the truth?"

"Henry," Edmund said simply. "He's not under their control anymore, and the fact that he avoided James's gaze means that he was afraid that his brother would discover that he was lying and would tell Louisa and Wickham. Besides, Wickham and Louisa have been telling me G- someone I love was killed for years in the hopes of breaking my spirit."

"How do you know they're not telling the truth?" Darcy asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Because they mentioned her when they told you that your wife was killed Darcy," Edmund told him matter-of-factly. "And I doubt there is a woman alive who can die twice."

Darcy sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"We will never be completely certain that Wickham was lying," he murmured. "Although I am very much inclined to believe you, Edmund, since the alternative is basically the same as suicide."

"I second that," Bingley piped up. James said nothing, his suddenly lifeless brown eyes still fixed on the place where his brother had stood.

"James?" Darcy called gently. "What say you?"

"I left her," James murmured. "I left her, Darcy, without even saying farewell. I left her to fend for herself. I could have caused her death…."

"My, aren't you cheerful," Edmund muttered sarcastically.

Darcy ignored him and moved closer to his cousin.

"If you ever talk like that again," he said quietly. "I will beat some sense into you. If we are going to survive in here, we need to keep from falling into despair, do you understand James?"

James nodded numbly, his face clouded.

"I still left her," he murmured, almost too quietly for Darcy to hear.

**Disclaimer: of course, I do not own any of these characters because all of the credit belongs to the amazing Jane Austen. Thanks also to all of you who have read/reviewed this story, and I hope you're all going to have a wonderful holiday season!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 13

Edmund Darcy's small face puckered in an effort to keep his mouth from trembling, his sea-green eyes glistening with barely concealed tears as he watched his mother and aunts load their horses with baggage.

Elizabeth glanced back at her son, sighing when she caught the look on his face. She nodded to Mrs. Reynolds to continue with the packing and held out her arms. A small smile flickered across Edmund's face and he ran to his mother, his head buried in the folds of the loose linen shirt tucked into the waistband of a pair of breeches that had replaced Elizabeth's usual gown.

"Don't go," Edmund mumbled into her shoulder.

Elizabeth swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and forced herself to sound normal as she addressed her son.

"I won't be gone long," she assured him. "I am just going with your aunts to find your father and uncles, and then we will all come back."

"Promise?" Edmund squeaked in a small voice.

"Of course," she whispered. She pulled her son close for another moment before pulling away and walking back to her horse. Mary, Jane, and Georgiana had already mounted their own steeds, their loose linen shirts and breeches covered by dull brown cloaks. Elizabeth pulled the hood of her own cloak over her head to hide her long auburn hair and pulled herself up onto the mare Darcy had given her years ago as a Christmas present. She turned one last time to look at her son and father, surrounded by those members of the Darcy household that knew of vampires.

Elizabeth spurred her horse towards the road that lead to London, her sisters close behind.

Jack Rivers glanced out of his dirt-encrusted window, his nose wrinkling in distaste as he watched a wealthy young couple meander through the dark streets of Cheapside, their stiff shoulders and tightly clasped hands an obvious signal that they were lost. Jack sighed and shook his head.

"Clueless bureaucrats," he muttered.

After another moment of watching the lost couple, Jack hauled himself off of the half-decaying mattress that served as his bed and pulled on the patched overcoat he had thrown haphazardly over the back of an armchair in the corner of the room after his last excursion. He jammed his hat onto his head and darted down the rickety stair case to the doorway, a cheerful smile pasted onto his thin face as he approached the wealthy couple.

"'Ello there," he called, his Cockney accent thicker than usual as he forced himself to sound friendly. "Little lost, are we?"

The man glowered at him, although Jack noticed that the woman was nodding timidly from behind her husband's shoulder.

"I could help you find your way, I could," Jack mused. "If you're willing to pay a small fee, o' course."

The man's frown deepened and he pulled the woman closer to his side.

"No thank you," he said stiffly. "We shall be perfectly fine on our own."

Jack bowed in mock politeness and watched the couple walk past him.

"Watch out for the pick pockets, then," he called after their retreating backs. "They can be nasty little blokes."

The woman glanced back at him with panicked eyes and drew a little closer to her companion. Jack chuckled sadly and turned away.

"I tried to help 'em," he muttered.

"Perhaps you can help us, then, Mr. Rivers," a distinctly female voice called from the shadows.

Jack turned around, his eyebrows raised. Four petite figures covered by coarse brown cloaks stepped towards him out of the shadows cast by some of the millions of townhomes in Cheapside, their faces hidden by the hoods of their cloaks.

"How can I help you?" Jack asked warily, the cheerful tone he had used with the wealthy couple nonexistent as he faced the small group.

"We need information," the foremost figure and original speaker said smoothly. "And word has it that you are the one who has the knowledge we need."

"Oh?" Jack said lazily. "And, pray, who told you about me?"

"Alfred Gardiner," the figure to the far left spoke up, her voice slightly softer than the voice of the first speaker. "Our uncle."

Jack raised his eyebrows and ran his eyes over the group again.

"You're Gardiner's nieces?" he said incredulously. "The well-bred ladies from Hertfordshire? What do you need me for?"

"Invite us into your lovely home and we'll tell you," the first speaker ordered. "You of all people should know how dangerous it is to speak freely in the streets."

Jack glanced back at the place where he had last seen the wealthy couple, his sharp brown eyes catching the silhouettes of three young men who lay in wait for any other people foolish enough to get lost in Cheapside at night.

"Come in, then," he sighed.

James Fitzwilliam eyed the food in front of him with distaste.

Under any other circumstances, the thick slice of brown bread and small flask of water would have been a welcome relief to the starving man who hadn't had any nourishment since his imprisonment two days ago. But now… after learning that Mary was gone… well, James didn't know if he would ever want to eat again.

"James," Darcy called quietly, his ice blue eyes stern. "You need to eat." Darcy's own ration of bread had disappeared into his mouth moments after it had been placed in front of him by a blank-faced Henry/Thomas, and only a small portion of water remained in his flask.

James shook his head stubbornly, feeling ridiculously like a small child.

"James," Bingley piped up, his mouth still slightly full of bread. "This is the first food we have had in days and we don't know when we shall see more. Refusing to eat now could be fatal."

James clenched his jaw and glared at Bingley.

Across the room, Edmund chuckled.

"Is that it, then?" he muttered. "You want to die?"

Darcy and Bingley stiffened their gazes suddenly intense. James looked away from them, unable to meet their eyes now.

"Mary was killed when I wasn't there to protect her," he murmured. "This is my punishment."

"Even if Mary were actually dead, she wouldn't have wanted you to die because of her, James," Bingley argued.

James winced, failing to ignore the pain that erupted in his chest at the mention of his wife.

"Regardless," he whispered. "I will not eat."

"Damn it, James!" Darcy yelled. "Do you think that Bingley and I aren't suffering as well? Do you think that we don't fear that Wickham wasn't lying? And yet you wallow in your own grief as if you are the only one in pain, as if everything would suddenly get better if you starved yourself. Is this what Mary would have wanted?"

"Mary didn't want me to leave in the first place," James yelled back. "And look what that brought us."

There was silence for a moment before Edmund spoke up.

"Mary didn't want you to leave, but you left her anyways," he mused. "Now she might be dead and you are a captive of vampires. Perhaps I am mistaken, but it seems as if going against the wishes of your wife makes things worse."

"What is your point?" James grumbled.

"The point is," Edmund continued. "If going against the wishes of your wife makes things worse, why would you go against her wishes again and try to kill yourself?"

James stared at Edmund for a long moment, his brow furrowing as he thought over the man's words. He glanced down at the untouched food and drink before reaching out and bringing the flask gingerly to his lips. He pulled away after a minute or two, his throat still working to swallow the water. He looked down at the cold stones that made up the floor of the cell, his cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment.

"Thank you," he murmured to Edmund.

Edmund shrugged his green eyes suddenly tired.

"I've been forcing myself to live for years," he muttered. "There is no way I'm letting you give up after a few days."

**Disclaimer: Of course, I do not own any of these characters. All of the credit belongs to the amazing Jane Austen. I hope that everyone had an awesome Christmas, and I'm sorry for the delay in updating. I'll see if I can get another one in before school starts… Anyways, thanks too all of the people who read/reviewed this story and I hope you all have a wonderful New Year!**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 14

Jack leaned back in his chair, his eyebrows drawn together in a frown beneath his shaggy red hair.

"Let me get this straight," he said slowly. "Your husbands are bein' held captive in Cheapside, an' you want to know where they are so you can rescue 'em."

"That's right," the auburn-haired one, Elizabeth, said calmly, her eyes hard.

"An' how many blokes do you think are guarding your husbands?" he asked carefully.

"Judging from the number of those who attacked us in Derbyshire, I would say close to fifty is a safe guess," the pale-eyed one-Mary?- spoke up, her eyes narrowed beneath her dull brown hair as she calculated.

Jack whistled and looked over the four well-bred ladies once again.

"What exactly do your husbands do?" he asked. "'Cause I'm not about to risk my neck for rum runners or anythin' like that."

"My brother is not a rum runner!" a petite girl with blonde hair and ice blue eyes piped up angirly from her place beside Elizabeth. Jack frowned, he hadn't been introduced to this one.

"Your brother, eh?" he mused. "Though you all were married ladies."

"She is my sister-in-law," Elizabeth interrupted, her voice sharp with protectiveness. "And she is right about my husband. Mr. Darcy is not involved in any illegal activity."

"Then why is 'e being held captive in Cheapside?" Jack countered.

"That isn't of your concern," Elizabeth snapped.

"It is if those captors come after me when they're done with you lot," he growled. "Look," he continued in a slightly calmer voice. "I'm sure you are all… capable of defendin' yourselves against certain people, but if your sister over there is right and there are about fifty of these kidnappers, I can't expect you to be able to handle all of 'em. An' if you fail an' they find out I told you…"

"You know where are husbands are, don't you?" Jane whispered.

Jack glanced at her sharply. He had almost forgotten that she was there.

"Mr. Rivers," Mary added. "Regardless of how we may look, I assure you that we are perfectly capable of handling ourselves among fifty vam-." She froze, her face reddening as her sisters glared at her.

"Vam?" Jack repeated, his eyes narrowed. "What's a vam?"

"Vampires," the little blonde girl squeaked from beside her sister-in-law, Elizabeth.

"Eh?" Jack demanded, his heart suddenly pounding. Were these girls insane? Was that why they thought that they could handle fifty men? "What did you say, girly?"

"The fifty men are fifty vampires," the girl repeated, her voice stronger now. "And my name is Georgiana Darcy. My brother, Fitzwilliam, is a vampire hunter, as are his cousin, James Fitzwilliam, Jane's husband Charles Bingley, and all of us. So believe us when we say that we can handle whatever is guarding our loved ones."

There was silence for a long moment as Jack disgested the blonde girl's words. Something in her statement rang true, he supposed. He had heard rumors of bloodsuckers down at Front Street, although he had assumed that the description was a figure of speech.

"Your husbands will be down at Front street," he sighed heavily. "Look for the cellar door in the alleyway to the right of the boarded up door. That should give you the best entrance."

The four ladies sighed with relief, some of the tension disappearing from their shoulders. Jack realized that, despite their strong words, they had really feared that he would not tell them anything.

"I could 'elp you find the way," he offered. "It can be confusin' for first timers."

"Thank you, Mr. Rivers," Elizabeth said warmly. "But I am afraid we cannot bring you any farther in this."

Jack nodded, more than a little grateful that they had refused. He could live a perfectly happy life without involvement with vampires, thank you very much.

"An' if they happen to get you…" he began.

"We'll simply tell them we heard a rumor in Cheapside," Jane assured him quickly.

Jack nodded and sat back in his chair, his eyes closing. He heard the rustling of fabric as the four ladies stood up from their perches, their cloaks swirling around their legs. He waited for the door to close behind his latest guests, breathing a sigh of relief when it did. He paused for another minute or so to make sure that they weren't coming back before getting up from his chair and going back to his small chamber to sleep.

By the time the sun rose the next day, Jack Rivers had almost convinced himself that it was all a dream.

Georgiana stared down at the dirt encrusted cellar door, her heart pounding visibly through her thin linen shirt as she contemplated the battle with vampires that was soon to come.

Elizabeth placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, making her relax a little.

"Every thing will be fine," she assured her sister-in-law. "Although I wish that you would agree to stay behind."

Georgiana's jaw clenched. She crouched down beside the cellar door and waited for Elizabeth to crouch beside her so that they could pull open the heavy doors.

"I will not stay behind again," she said stubbornly.

Elizabeth smiled and waited for Jane and Mary to duck through the entrance before jumping after them.

"That's my girl," she called from below.

Georgiana laughed quietly and jumped after Elizabeth, her boots slamming into the floor of the cellar with a dull thud. The four women paused and listened to see if any of the guards had heard them.

When nothing came out of the shadows and attacked them, Jane moved forward cautiously and edged toward the door at the end of the room. She pressed her ear against the smooth metal for a moment before gently pulling it open, her stake at the ready.

A young woman dressed immaculately in black whirled around as the door opened, her fangs bared.

"You-," she began.

Mary darted around Jane and drove her stake into the woman's chest, cutting off her next words.

"Go," Mary hissed.

Elizabeth nodded and followed Jane out of the cellar, with Mary and Georgiana close behind. She paused for a moment at the doorway, her eyes narrowed as she strained to catch a glimpse of a familiar aura in the abandoned kitchen. She stiffened with recognition and motioned towards two small stone doors set into the wall farthest from the kitchen's large oven. Thick chains had been wrapped around the two handles, their ends held together by a large iron padlock.

Without another word, Mary stepped forward, her hand already reaching towards the hairpin she wore at all times. She motioned for Georgiana to watch for more vampires and bent over the lock, her hands working furiously.

"It's unlocked," she breathed after a few tense seconds. "Lizzy…"

Elizabeth carefully inched open the door, a lump that felt suspiciously like a heart in her throat. She froze after the door had slid open a few inches, her arms trembling.

"Lizzy," Jane whispered soothingly. "We need to move."

"What if he's not down there, Jane?" Elizabeth hissed. "What if he's-." She stopped, unable to say the words.

Jane squeezed her sister's hand and reached past her to pull the door open.

"Have faith," she murmured. "Georgiana, Mary," she called in a slightly louder whisper.

The other girls nodded seriously and followed Jane and Elizabeth down the stairs that descended from the entryway into the dark unknown.

Elizabeth's hands clenched into fists as she looked at the second door and took a deep breath. She glanced a Jane pleadingly, her heart rate doubling when her eldest sister opened the door….

"Fitzwilliam!"

**Disclaimer: I think we all know that I do not own pride and prejudice or any of the characters in it. Anyways, sorry for the delay in writing. Midterms and the school play are coming up and im busy as ever, so you will all just have to be patient with me. Hope you all enjoyed the cliffy!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 15

Darcy's head shot up, his bloodshot blue eyes widening in shock beneach his messy dark hair. His parched lips barely had time to form his wife's name before Elizabeth threw her arms around him, her face burying itself in his chest.

"Elizabeth?" he whispered hoarsely.

"Jane!" Bingley cried from the corner, his voice cracking.

Jane's lips trembled as she rushed to her husband, her thin arms pulling him gently into her embrace for a moment.

"Charles," she sighed.

"What are you doing here?" Darcy demanded, his joy at seeing Elizabeth quickly replaced by alarm. "Did Wickham or Lady Catherine-?"

"No one captured us," Elizabeth assured him. Then she frowned. "Wickham?"

Darcy sighed in relief and nodded grimly.

"He and my aunt, Lady Catherine are in charge of the operation," he told her.

"But Sir Henry- Where is James?"

"Here," a voice called weakly from another corner of the room.

Elizabeth looked in the direction of her brother-in-law's voice, her green eyes narrowing when she saw the pale pallor of his skin and the unmistakeable weakness in the way he struggled to pull himself upright.

"James ate less than the rest of us," Darcy told Elizabeth quietly. "He feared that Mary had been killed in Louisa's attack on you all and fell into dispair."

Elizabeth shook her head in disapproval and looked at Mary, who had been watching her husband from her place on the stairs with a look of horror on her face.

"James," she whispered. "Why?"

James turned his head in the direction of his wife, his thin face transfigured with relief.

"Mary," he breathed. He attempted to move towards her, only to stumble and fall again onto the cold stone floor of the cell. Mary rushed towards him and wrapped his arm around her shoulder in support.

"I may need some help getting him out of here, Lizzy," she called quietly to her sister.

"Call Georgiana," Elizabeth ordered. "She can take James's other arm."

"No," Darcy said quietly.

Elizabeth blinked and stared at Darcy, slightly taken aback. "What?"

"There is another prisoner here with us who needs assistance," Darcy said firmly. "Let Georgiana assist him while you help James. I shall be strong enough to walk."

"I only need help getting James up the stairs," Mary assured Elizabeth quickly. "You can continue helping Darcy then."

Elizabeth nodded reluctantly and signalled for Georgiana to leave her post by the stairwell as she moved to help her sister.

Darcy pulled himself unsteadily to his feet and smiled reassuringly at his sister.

"Hello Georgiana," he said cheerfully. "You know I do not approve of young ladies wearing breeches."

Georgiana beamed at her brother, her blue eyes dancing with relief beneath the few curls of her blonde hair that had escaped the knot at the back of her head.

"I am afraid you must discuss that with Elizabeth, Fitzwilliam," she answered playfully. "It was her idea."

Darcy snorted and glanced with approval at his wife. Elizabeth winked mischievously at him before bending to wrap James's other arm around her shoulder.

"The other man should be in the far right corner," Darcy told his sister quietly. "Be gentle with him and stay strong, my dear."

Georgiana frowned, wondering why her brother would tell her such things. Was the other prisoner so dreadfully wounded or disfigured that Darcy believed that she could not handle such a sight?

The man stirred a little when she approached, then stiffened when he caught sight of her. At least, she thought that he had seen her. She couldn't tell with his face hidden in shadow.

Georgiana steeled herself before bending over the man, tendrils of her golden hair falling forward to brush against his skin. She felt her cheeks warm with a blush when she thought of how improper it was for her to be in such a situation but quickly pushed the thought aside.

"Please, sir," she whispered hesitantly. "Are you able to move?"

After a slight pause, the man nodded.

"Can you stand and walk?"

Another nod.

Georgiana sighed with relief and held out her hand. The man hesitated for a moment before taking it.

As she pulled the man to his feet, Georgian frowned. There was something familiar in his touch…. Something about the rough texture of the hand and the gentle strength with which it grasped her fingers that called back into the recesses of her memory.

Georgiana stiffened and heard a gasp escape her lips as she realized who the man was. The man paused and looked at her, his wary green eyes now visible beneath his long curling black hair.

"Are you alright, Miss Darcy?" Edmund Darrows asked cautiously.

Georgiana took a deep breath to steady herself and nodded, her grip tightening on his hand as she helped him stand. She prepared to release his hand then paused, wondering why Edmund did not prepare to release her as well.

"Do you need assistance, Mr. Darrows?" she asked quietly.

Edmund glanced down at her, his handsome face twisting slightly in pain. He had gotten paler since she had last seen him, Georgiana noticed, and he desperately needed to shave, although the beard growing along his jaw line made him no less handsome.

"You have grown, Miss Darcy," Edmund whispered hoarsely.

Georgiana nodded sagely. "That does happen, Mr. Darrows."

Edmund stared at her, a small smile tugging its way onto his lips.

"So you do know how to jest," he murmured approvingly.

"My brother's wife has taught me many things," Georgiana admitted.

"Then she is a fine woman," he replied. Edmund looked down at their intertwined hands, his throat working. "G- Miss Darcy, I-."

"We have no time for talk, Mr. Darrows," Mary called impatiently. "We must get you and the others out of here before your captors are made aware of our presence."

"It's too late for that," Jane sighed, her voice slightly muffled by Bingley's shoulder as he drew her to him. "They are aware. Louisa and Wickham will be down shortly with some of their followers."

"Then we must at least get out of this… cellar," Elizabeth said firmly. "It is no place for a battle."

"We are in no condition to fight," Darcy objected. "And I will not allow you to go against so many vampires on your own, Lizzy."

"There is no time for objections, either, Darcy," Mary called as she led James and Elizabeth to the stairwell. "And Lizzy will not be alone."

"Mary…" James croaked.

"No time for objections, James," Mary reminded him.

Georgiana looked back at Edmund, her small face filled with concern.

"Can you walk on your own?" she asked softly.

He nodded.

"Stay with Fitzwilliam, then," Georgiana ordered, her voice thick with relief. She darted away from him and placed herself infront of Mary and the others in the procession going up the stairs, a stake clutched determinedly in her slender fingers.

Edmund felt his heart twist in sudden fear within his chest and glanced at Darcy.

Georgiana's brother met his gaze, his troubled blue eyes revealing the worry he felt for his sister and wife. Without another word, the two men followed Elizabeth, James, and Mary up the stairwell, Jane and Bingley close behind.

**Disclaimer: though I have recently been informed that I technically do not need a disclaimer for this, I am still giving all of the credit of characters to Jane Austen because she is amazing. And I am sorry once again for the delay, but since the school play is over and mid-terms will be finished after this week, I should, hypthetically, have more time to work on this after this week is done (I'm keeping my fingers crossed, at least!). Anyways, happy Martin Luther King Jr. day, and thanks to all of the people who read/reviewed this story!**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 16

Georgiana paused at the top of the stairs and glanced back at her sisters, her heart pounding with a fresh rush of adrenaline in her chest.

Elizabeth nodded reassuringly, her muscles tensing in expectation. Georgiana sighed and nodded in return before pushing open one of the two stone doors that opened into the barely-used kitchen…

Pale arms shot out of the darkness of the kitchen and pinned her arms to her sides in an inescapable grip. Georgiana cried out in warning to her sisters, her scream slightly muffled by the arm of whoever held her.

"Georgiana!"

Georgiana winced, her heart pounding with fear as the cries of her brother, Edmund, and her sisters rose up from the stairwell. The vampire holding her chuckled, her breath cold and revolting in her ear.

"How sweet," he murmured. "It pains me to interrupt this half-baked escape attempt so early," he added in a slightly louder voice. "However, I regret to inform you that I cannot allow your husband and his companions to leave here, dear Mrs. Darcy."

Elizabeth's auburn head appeared around the edge of the doorway, her green eyes flashing furiously. A few steps behind her, Georgiana could see Jane and Bingley barely restraining a furious Darcy and Edmund, while Mary struggled to support James.

"Leave her go, Wickham," Elizabeth snarled. "We both know your quarrel is with me and Darcy."

Georgiana shivered and tightened her grip on the stake that was still clutched in her hand. Wickham? She was in the clutches of the vampie who had killed her parents and made her brother's life miserable for over a decade? A small bubble of fury rose up inside of her at the thought and she twisted violently in Wickham's grip. The vampire chuckled.

"Actually, sweet Elizabeth," he crooned. "My quarrel is with all Darcys, so technically my wrath extends to you, your husband, and his darling sister."

"Wickham!" Darcy roared. Bingley's arms tightened around his friend's shoulders as Darcy threw himself forward, his face twisting with exertion.

Wickham chuckled and adjusted his grip on Georgiana so that he could wave at Darcy. Georgiana stopped struggling, her muscles tensing in anticipation.

"Hello Darcy," he called cheerfully. "I see you managed to get your friend Darrows out of his corner as well. Did he tell you that I was the one who sent the vampires who captured Mr. Darrows in the first place? Of course, I didn't expect them to succeed, not with both you and Darrows in the same carriage, but your sister made such an excellent distraction, I hear."

"And now she is a hostage," a silky female voice sneered from behind Wickham.

Georgiana turned her head slightly, her eyes narrowing when she saw the red haired woman she had seen once with Edmund.

"Louisa," Bingley moaned, his gentle hazel eyes tight with pain.

"Hello, brother," Louisa Bingley simpered. "And hello to you, Miss Darcy. Your friend Edmund kept us from becoming acquainted when we last met, but I suppose we'll have plenty of time to become acquainted now, won't we?"

"No," Georgiana snapped. "I don't think we will."

Before anyone could move, Georgiana threw herself against Wickham, causing the vampire to stumbled away from her. She ducked beneath his arms again and launched herself at Louisa, the stake in her hand aimed for the woman's chest.

Louisa screamed as the wood embedded itself in her chest and shoved Georgiana into the wall of the kitchen. Georgiana groaned and blinked furiously, trying to clear the stars from her eyes.

"Georgiana!" Edmund yelled. He broke free of Jane's arms and ran towards her as Elizabeth and Mary launched themselves at Wickham and Louisa.

"Jane!" Elizabeth yelled as she dodged beneath Wickham's attempted blows. "Get the others out of here! We'll take it from here."

Jane nodded and ran to support James. Bingley tightened his grip on Darcy and pulled him towards the other cellar that opened up into the alley they had entered through. She glanced at Edmund as she went, motioning with her eyes for him to follow.

Edmund shook his head firmly, his arms already wrapped around the dazed Georgiana.

"Go," he called. "I will follow."

Jane nodded and signalled for Bingley and the still struggling Darcy to go ahead of her while she followed close behind with James.

Edmund waited until he was sure that Georgiana had recovered from the shock of Louisa's blow before gathering her into his arms. He glanced back at Elizabeth and Mary, satisfied himself with the fact that they were able to handle themselves with Wickham and Louisa, and turned to go…

…Only to find himself face-to-face with the marble-faced old woman he had come to know as Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

"It is very rude to leave without telling the lady of the house that you are departing," she told him coldly.

"My apologies, Lady Catherine," Edmund growled, his arms tightening around Georgiana.

"You will apologize many more times before I am done with you," she told him flatly. Then she struck him with a backhanded slap across the face, sending him sprawling onto the floor.

Georgiana cried out as she flew from his arms and struggled to steady herself, another stake clutched uncertainly in her hand. Lady Catherine slapped the weapon easily out of the girl's hand and grabbed her by the front of her loose shirt.

"These clothes are unsuitable for a young lady of your status, Georgiana," she hissed. "Your brother's wife has tampered with your education. It seems I must teach you another lesson."

Georgiana's eyes widened and she struggled to pull away as Lady Catherine came closer, her fangs extended and aimed towards her throat.

The point of a wooden stake pierced through the rich fabric of Lady Catherine's gown, making the lady cry out. Her grip on Georgiana loosened and she fell to the ground, her skin already resembling that of a mummy.

Georgiana looked up at the man who had killed her aunt, her breath coming in short gasps as she tried to calm herself.

Sir Henry Fitzwilliam looked down at her, a wry half-smile making its way across his face.

"You don't know how long I've been wanting to do that," he said quietly.

"Thomas!" Louisa screeched, her eyes widening in shock just moments before Mary's stake took her out.

Henry looked down at the dead vampire, his eyes tightening in savage triumph.

"My name is not Thomas," he said tightly. "And to be perfectly frank, I never gave you permission to address me so informally."

The dead vampire gave no reply.

**Disclaimer: Again, all of the credit belongs to the amazing Jane Austen! I'm sorry for the slight delay. Anyways, thanks to all the people who read/reviewed this story! You all rock!**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 17

Something was wrong.

James Fitzwilliam didn't know what was wrong, exactly, or even if it was wrong; he merely knew that something had changed, that somehow something was…. Different.

James groaned and threw his hand over his still closed eyelids. Ugh, his head hurt, although he couldn't be sure if that was a result of his thoughts or if the pounding in his skull resulted from something else entirely. Perhaps it was hunger that made his brain hurt; he had been quite famished before-.

James's eyes flew open and he sat up, noticing dimly that he was in a soft bed. How odd, he had thought that he had been in a cell…

The events of the past night came rushing back to him in a flood of half-remembered sensations and thoughts. The voices of Elizabeth and Jane as they ran to their husbands; Darcy and Bingley's expressions of shock and relief as they were folded into the arms of their wives; his own relief and amazement as Mary ran towards him; the cries of those around him as Georgiana was taken by Wickham; his feeble struggles as Jane pulled him away from Mary's battle with Louisa Bingley…

James frowned and struggled to remember what had happened after that. Nothing. The flood stopped after that last memory of Jane pulling him away from Mary. Perhaps he had passed out… it wouldn't be surprising considering the fact that he hadn't eaten a decent meal in weeks.

James sighed in frustration at his lack of memories and stretched his stiff back, wincing as the muscles burned beneath his skin. Unfortunately, it seemed as though he would need some time to get his strength back, a bothersome dilemma. He wanted to leave this comfortable bed, wanted to go through the door that he had just noticed at the other end of the darkened room and look for Mary and the others.

Ignoring the warnings of his much abuse muscles, James twisted and flung his legs over the side of the bed. He drew in a sharp breath and pulled himself gingerly upright, smiling in satisfaction when his knees only buckled once. Well, perhaps he was stronger than he had imagined.

Keeping a hand on the papered wall to steady himself, James slowly made his way towards the door, his bare feet softly padding across the wooden floor of the room. James paused a foot or so from the door and steeled himself again as he withdrew his hand from the wall and reached for the knob of the door…

The knob turned before he could touch it and the door was pulled open, revealing a tired-looking Mary, her brown hair pulled hastily back into a messy knot, a silver tray weighed down with food and tea in her hands. She raised her eyebrows when she saw James, a small smile making its way onto her lips.

"I told them that you wouldn't stay bedridden for long," she muttered, mostly to herself. "Of course, now that I have caught you out of bed I must send you right back."

James tried to smile at his wife's half-hearted jest, but couldn't. A lump was forming in his throat that somehow prevented him from both speaking and smiling.

Mary's small smile faded into something like a pained grimace and she turned away for a moment to put down the tray and light one of the many lamps placed randomly throughout the room. James blinked as the light attacked his eyes, his hands inching up to shield the eyes from the brightness.

"How long have I been asleep?" he asked quietly.

Mary shrugged, her focus still centered on the lamp.

"Jane said that you became unconscious shortly after she took you out of the kitchen so… I think that it is safe to assume that you were asleep for 24 hours, maybe more."

James nodded and winced again as his tired muscles complained. No wonder he was so stiff.

"James."

James looked over at his wife, feeling a small tinge of amusement when he saw her exasperated expression.

"Would you please go back to bed," she sighed. "Or at least sit down if you refuse to rest. Besides, we both know that you won't be standing much longer anyways."

James's knees buckled again, reminding him how right his wife was. He gave in and staggered back to the bed. Mary waited until he had sat upon the slightly ruffled linen sheets before she reached again for the tray and brought it to him. James looked up at her and smiled tentatively.

"Are you going to do me the honor of joining me for supper, my lady?" he asked wryly.

Mary's lips twitched into something like a smile.

"It is actually closer to breakfast than it is to supper," she corrected him.

James ignored the correction and patted the sheets next to him. Mary sighed in defeat and sank down beside him, carefully placing the tray between them. James noticed again how tired she looked. He also noticed that she had changed out of the shirt and breeches she had worn when she and her sisters had rescued him and the others.

"Did you not enjoy dressing like a man?" he asked her lightly around a mouthful of bread.

Mary glanced down at the plain grey gown that had replaced the shirt and breeches and blushed.

"They served their purpose well, but I was unused to how revealing it felt to wear them," she muttered. "I did like wearing them, though," she added sheepishly.

James chuckled and reached for another biscuit.

"Perhaps someday all women will dress like men," he mused.

Mary stared at him, slightly horrified.

"I hope not," she gasped. "It would be most improper."

James chuckled once more and placed his arm around her shoulder.

"My proper Mary," he murmured.

Mary stiffened slightly, her cheeks reddening once more. James eyed her cautiously and gently removed his arm from her shoulder.

"Is anything amiss?" he asked warily.

Mary hesitated and glanced down at the floor, her pale eyes flickering between his bare feet and the floorboards.

"Perhaps we should have left slippers for you," she murmured. "It can be very cold here and I wouldn't want you to get sick…"

"Mary," James interrupted. He waited until his wife met his gaze, his hand reaching out to grasp hers. "Please tell me what is bothering you."

Mary hesitated again and bit her lip, her eyes now watching him as if she was wary of his reaction. It suddenly occurred to James that his wife might still be angry at him. Memories of their last conversation- and largest argument- came rushing back to him in floods that made his cheeks pale. At the same time, James steeled himself against the pain that Mary's abandonement would give him. If leaving him would make Mary happy, he would deal with the pain for her sake. Besides, it was his own fault if she had grown to hate him.

"I am sorry," Mary murmured, interrupting his thoughts. "I do not know- I mean, I do not want to make you uncomfortable or force you into anything…"

_Say it_, James pleaded mentally, his heart pounding with the agony of anticipation. _Please, just say it and put me out of my misery._

"I just want you to promise me that you will answer me honestly, with no regard for my own feelings," Mary sighed.

James nodded, his jaw tightening.

"Do you still… do you still want me as your wife?" she asked quietly, her eyes leaving his to look down at the floor again.

A startled laugh broke through James's lips at her words. Without speaking, her reached out and pulled his wife towards him, ignoring the silver tray between them.

"My dear girl," he chuckled, almost giddy with relief. "How can you ask such a foolish question?"

Mary blushed and tentatively met his gaze again with a shy smile.

"I had thought," she said slowly. "That you might wish to have someone else who would not cause you such financial trouble if ever your funds were low. You had mentioned an heiress when we were-."

"Arguing," James finished. He grimaced with self-loathing and pulled her closer to him. "Please forgive me," he murmured. "I was- well, it does not matter what I was feeling at that particular moment. My actions and my words were unforgiveable."

"Not unforgiveable," Mary interrupted gently. "Perhaps a little hurtful, but not so hurtful as to be unpardonable, I think."

"You are to good to me, you know," he murmured.

She chuckled.

"I am merely relieved," she confessed. "I had thought that I would be alone for-." She paused again, her cheeks reddening in that embarassed blush that James had always found so charming.

"What is it?" he asked tenderly.

Mary glanced up at him, a small smile making its way to her lips.

"James," she murmured. "How do feel about children?"

**Ok, I'm really sorry this took me so long to put up. I'll try and get the next chapter up more quickly, but unfortunately I don't know if I can make any promises…. Anyways, thanks to everyone who read/reviewed this story. You guys rock!**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 18

"Edmund will be extremely excited when we return," Elizabeth murmured. "I'm afraid my father will not have been very much fun these past few days."

Darcy chuckled and drew his wife closer to him, his chin resting lightly on the top of her auburn head.

"Remind me to tell your father how much I owe him," he whispered.

"You know very well that he won't accept anything from you," Elizabeth reminded him. "Well, perhaps a book or two from the library…"

Her husband laughed again.

"If he keeps doing us so many favors, we won't have any books left to give to him."

Elizabeth smiled and buried her head in her husband's shoulder.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she whispered against his skin.

Darcy pressed his lips to the top of her head and nodded.

"Yes," he assured her. "Wickham admitted that the bloodlust had been caused by him. After he captured me he saw no need to continue torturing me and now that he is dead for good…" He shrugged and pulled his wife closer to him. "Are you alright?"

"A little excitement never killed a woman," she teased. Then, seeing the serious expression on Darcy's face, she added "I am fine, Fitzwilliam. If anything, I am overjoyed that we are together again."

"As am I, my dear," he murmured.

Edmund Darrows looked up from the novel he had been reading, his eyes narrowing slightly as another timid knock sounded against the door of his room.

"Who is it?" he asked cautiously. If it was that pesky maid again, he might have to jump out of the window.

"It's me," Georgiana called quietly.

Edmund straightened up in his seat, his eyes widening slightly in shock. Since their escape a few nights ago, neither he nor Georgiana had spoken more than a word to each other, let alone had a decent conversation.

"Come in," he said quietly.

There was silence for a moment; then the door slowly creaked open, revealing a slightly frightened Georgiana. Her face reddened when she met his gaze, her blue eyes darting towards the large Persian rug that had been spread across the floor.

"I-I am sorry for disturbing you," she mumbled.

"No, no," he said quickly. "You didn't- I was merely reading."

"Reading?" Georgiana repeated. Edmund smiled when he saw the rising interest in her eyes. Georgiana had never been able to resist a good novel.

"Yes," he chuckled. "Lady Helena must have been warned of my love of books. I found a miniature library in the corner when I awoke this morning."

"What were you reading?" Georgiana asked shyly, her blush deepening by a few shades of red.

"It's quite a marvelous book, actually," he told her. "The author has quite a way with words."

"Who is the author?" she pressed.

"A Miss Austen," he murmured distantly. He cleared his throat suddenly and looked up, his green eyes vulnerable. "Georgiana," he began.

"Yes?" she whispered, her blue eyes cautious beneath her blonde hair.

"That night, when you saw me with Louisa Bingley," he continued slowly. He paused and frowned, as if he was having trouble choosing his words.

" You didn't mean what you said, did you?" she guessed quietly.

He stared at her, surprised.

"How-?"

"I didn't know it at first," she admitted. "However, once I calmed down and was alone… You would never have done something to hurt me unless you thought that it would keep me safe. I remembered all that you had done for Fitzwilliam and me and I… decided to trust you."

Edmund smiled and studied this girl who had captured his heart with new eyes.

"I'm afraid I never realised how intelligent you could be, Miss Darcy," he murmured.

Georgiana's cheeks deepened to a bright scarlet.

"Elizabeth has taught me many things," she whispered. "I must give her most of the credit."

"But unless I am very much mistaken, your brother had not yet married Mrs. Darcy when we met on that lovely night," Edmund pointed out playfully.

She chuckled shyly and grinned timidly at him.

"I am glad that we found you, Mr. Darrows," she whispered.

"As am I," he admitted. "And, actually, I would be very honored if you refered to me as Edmund, Miss Georgiana."

"That would be most improper, Mr. Darrows," Georgiana scolded, but there was a smile on her face as she said it. She hesitated, looking as if there was something else she wanted to say, and glanced at the small clock mounted on the wall above the bed. "It's getting late," she said slowly. "I should be getting ready for supper."

Edmund nodded, trying to mask his disappointment. He had wanted more time…there were so many things he had meant to say… then again, it wasn't as if this was the last conversation they would ever have. There would be weeks more, months and years perhaps. He wasn't about to let this girl go again.

"I will see you at dinner, then, Miss Georgiana," he murmured.

Georgiana gave him a small curtsy and turned to walk out of the door. She paused just outside of the doorframe and looked over her shoulder with a small smile.

"Yes," she whispered. "I will see you then, Edmund."

**Hey, sorry again for the delay and sorry this is sort of short. Thanks again to all of the readers/reviewers!**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 19

Edmund Darcy glanced up from the book his grandfather held, his sea-green eyes brightening when he saw the familiar carriage stop a few feet from the front entrance of Pemberley. He cried out in excitement and hurriedly jumped off of his grandfather's lap, his short legs already carrying him out of the library that had become Mr. Bennet's favorite haunt. Bennet stood up slowly, his eyes locked on his grandson's retreating back. His lips curved upward in a small smile and he followed Edmund, resisting to urge to run like the child. Running down the large staircase of Pemberley was not a good idea for a man who had already passed the age of sixty.

Elizabeth's face brightened when she laid eyes on her son, her arms already opening as he jumped into them. She laughed and held him close for a moment before transferring the child to his father. Edmund Darcy grinned at his father, his eyes dancing.

"Papa is feeling better?" he asked cheerfully.

Darcy smiled down at his son and nodded.

"We brought a new friend with us, Edmund," he told the child.

Edmund's grin widened. He glanced over his father's shoulder, trying to get a glimpse of the new arrival. All he could see was his aunt Georgiana, and although she was very good at giving him sweets when his mother and father weren't looking, she was definitely not new.

"Where?" the child demanded.

Darcy laughed.

"Such an impatient little fellow," he mused. "You must get that from your mother."

"I will not accept that, Fitzwilliam," Elizabeth told him archly. "I have told you, he is your son."

"Oh, I don't know about that, Lizzy," Mr. Bennet called, his white head finally appearing at the head of the staircase. "If I recall, you were quite an impatient little girl years ago. Your mother quite despaired of you; she claimed that no man would want such a demanding and eager girl for a wife." Bennet winked at his daughter as Darcy laughed before becoming serious once more. "Where are your sisters?"

"Jane and Mary wished to stop at their own homes to make sure that everything was in order after the vampire attack," Elizabeth told him. "They will be here soon."

Bennet nodded and relaxed once more. He glanced at his son-in-law, confirmed that Darcy still seemed to be well and in one piece, and smiled at his daughter.

"Your son will become an avid reader one of these days, Lizzy," he warned. "I could not get him to sit still for more than a minute when we read together in the library."

"How does that prove that he will become an avid reader?" Darcy asked, confused.

"Children who are as restless as Edmund will go for a phase in which they do not wish to do anything," Bennet told him wisely. "When that happens, they will turn to books as a source of entertainment and will quickly become so used to them that they will continue to be avid readers even after their idle phase has ended."

Darcy shook his head in disbelief and quickly returned his attention to his son as Edmund tugged at the sleeve of his coat.

"Where's the new friend?" his son demanded.

Darcy smiled mischievously and turned just as Georgiana walked through the door, a dark-haired man with bright green eyes at her side. The man stopped when he saw Edmund, a smile breaking across his pale face.

"Who is this, Darcy?" he called playfully.

Darcy's smile widened and he knelt to gently place his son on the ground.

"This is my son, Darrows," he replied. "Edmund Darcy, may I introduce you to Edmund Darrows?"

The child glanced up at the man who shared his name, his sea-green eyes studying the man. The man stared back at the child, his mouth slightly agape with shock.

Then the child smiled and walked up to the man, his hand held out solemnly so as to shake the newcomer's hand.

"Nice name," Edmund Darcy said cheerfully.

**5 Years Later**

"Eddy! Eddy, wait!" Henry Fitzwilliam called breathlessly after his cousin.

Edmund Darcy gave a slightly exasperated sigh and slowed his pace so that the younger boy could catch up.

Henry grinned and tapped Edmund playfully on the shoulder.

"Tag!" he howled triumphantly. "Now you have to chase me, Eddy."

Edmund rolled his eyes and shook his head. At ten years old- nearly eleven- he was much too old to play such childish games.

"I am not going to chase you, Henry," he explained with slightly strained patience. "And my name is not Eddy."

Henry pouted and tapped his cousin again. When this failed to get a reaction out of the boy, he seemed to give up and turned away, his grey eyes devastated beneath his mousy brown hair. Edmund felt a small twinge of guilt for his cousin and moved to comfort him by showing him the pocket watch his father had given to Edmund for Christmas- Henry had always been fond of shiny things. His brief flash of compassion disappeared when he realized that the watch, which usually hung in a place of honor inside of his waistcoat, was missing.

"Henry," Edmund growled, his voice deadly.

The younger boy froze and turned around slowly, a guilty look on his face. In his right hand was the watch.

"Give me back the watch," Edmund said slowly, taking care to pronounce each word carefully.

A mischievous smile spread slowly across Henry's face.

"You have to catch me first," he said sweetly before dashing down the corridor.

Edmund growled and took off after his cousin, a savage grin making its way to his lips when he quickly caught up to the younger boy. This was going to be easy; too easy.

Edmund realized his mistake seconds before a ball of golden blonde hair tackled him from the side, its pink arms winding their way around his neck. Edmund staggered to a halt and batted at the attacker, trying to force her to release him.

Lizzy Darrows giggled and tightened her grip around her older cousin's neck.

"Yay!" she giggled. "Eddy play!"

Edmund fought back a smile and glared ahead of him at Henry, who had now been joined by two other girls.

"You set me up," he grumbled.

Annie, Henry's twin sister, shrugged, a triumphant grin on her face.

"We had to find a way to get you off of your high horse, dear cousin," she told him matter-of-factly. "Really, you should have expected it. There was an ambush almost exactly like this in the book we read last week."

Edmund groaned and tried again to detach himself from Lizzy's enthusiastic grip.

"You know I cannot remember as many details as you, Annie," he whined.

She grinned at him.

"I know," she said smugly. Though Annie had inherited her father's brown eyes, it was well known that she had gotten her reading ability from her mother.

Edmund shook his head and cast a slightly accusing glance at his other cousin, Jenny Bingley.

"And you went along with this plan as well?" he demanded, his eyebrows raised skeptically.

Jenny blushed and looked down at the polished wooden floor of the corridor, her hazel eyes bright with amusement.

"Yes," she murmured. "It was quite enjoyable to watch, actually."

Edmund sighed and effortlessly swung Lizzy off of her perch on his shoulders and into his arms.

"I see that I am outnumbered," he sighed dramatically.

"I would get used to such an outcome, Edmund," Darcy's voice called down the corridor. "Your mother and her sisters are always outnumbering me, and I cannot count on my brothers to go against their wives."

Edmund stiffened and glanced back at his father, panic erupting inside his stomach. His father had seen him acting foolishly… would he disapprove?

Darcy smiled warmly at his son's discomfort and walked towards him. He placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder, his blue eyes intent.

"Perhaps Elizabeth is right," he murmured. "You are like me."

"I heard that, Fitzwilliam," Elizabeth called from behind him.

Darcy winked at his son and turned to face his wife. He raised his eyebrows at her.

"I had thought that you were busy entertaining Lady Helena and your sisters," he reminded her.

Elizabeth shrugged and glanced down at the small baby she held in her arms.

"I left them to fend for themselves while I put Charlotte to bed," she explained. "Surely they can survive without my presence for a few moments?"

Darcy laughed and smiled warmly at his wife and daughter.

"When you return to them, could you ask Lady Helena if she would mind sending her son John out to play with the others?" he asked playfully. "I think Edmund is feeling outnumbered by these lovely ladies."

Annie and Jenny laughed and curtsied to their uncle. Lizzy merely blinked and cocked her head to the side, not quite understanding the joke.

"Lizzy dear, why don't you come with me and we'll find your mother and father," Elizabeth called gently. "I dare say Georgiana will agree that a two-year-old girl is too young to be running around with these devils."

Lizzy smiled at her aunt and tripped to her side, her small hand reaching out to take Elizabeth's.

"But she was out strategic advantage," Annie called out, her eyes creasing into a frown.

Elizabeth laughed.

"You sound more like Mary every day," she chuckled. "Come along, Lizzy. Let's see if we can find some cake for you to bring back to your cousins. I still need to get revenge on Georgiana for giving so many sweets to Edmund."

Darcy chuckled and prepared to follow his wife, only to be stopped by a small hand on his arm. He glanced down at his son's timid expression, his blue eyes soft.

"Am I too old to play, Papa?" Edmund asked quietly, his sea-green eyes studying Darcy's expression carefully.

Darcy shook his head.

"Of course not," he said firmly.

Edmund grinned and turned away from his father, his gaze zeroing in on Henry and the watch still clutched tightly in his hand.

"You had better start running, Henry," he warned cheerfully.

Henry yelped and took off down the hall, his sister and Jenny close behind him. Edmund waited until they were halfway down the corridor before running after them with a yell.

Darcy watched the children play for a few moments, a small smile on his face. Almost absentmindedly, he reached inside his waistcoat, his hand closing around the wooden stake hidden there. He hesitated for a moment before crossing to the window at the side of the hall and pushing it open. He dropped the stake and watched it fall to the ground before turning and walking back to the library to see Bennet had picked out another book.

Mr. Bennet glanced up as Darcy entered, his old face creased into a mischievous smile.

"Ah, Mr. Darcy," he greeted his son-in-law. "I just thought you should know that I have found the most delightful book…"

**Hey guys, sorry for the delay, and I'm sorry if the ending seemed a bit rushed or anything. Anyways, thanks to all of you who read this from the beginning, and thanks also to everyone who read and reviewed this story. You guys are awesome, and I hope you enjoyed ****Broken Hearts, Shattered Glass****.**

**Sincerely, Luxio Nyx**


End file.
